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NCAA: Mapua outlasts EAC for first win of Season 98

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MANILA, Philippines -- The Mapua Cardinals are officially in the win column for NCAA Season 98, after a 67-55 triumph over the Emilio Aguinaldo College on Saturday afternoon at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.Warren Bonifacio had a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double as the Cardinals ended an eight-game losing streak in the seniors basketball tournament. Mapua had forfeited its first win of the season, a 66-55 result over San Beda, as they fielded an ineligible player in the game.What followed was seven consecutive defeats for Mapua, a team that was originally tabbed as a championship contender after making the Finals in Season 97. They finally got their breakthrough against the Generals, a team that entered the match with a 0-6 record.Mapua led by as much as 15 points but the game wasn&#x27;t comfortably in their hands until the final 90 seconds, when Bonifacio nailed a clutch jumper for a 65-52 lead.Paolo Hernandez had 12 points, though he only shot 3-of-13 from the field. Adrian Nocum added 11 points and eight rebounds, while Juaqui Garcia finished with 10 markers. The Cardinals shot 43% from the field in the win.The Cardinals ended the first round with a 1-8 win-loss record.Squandered in the loss was a 22-point outing by Allen Liwag, while JP Maguliano had 11 points and eight rebounds. The Generals are the lone remaining winless team in the league, with a 0-7 slate.

The Mapua Cardinals are officially in the win column for NCAA Season 98.