With rookie Lawrence Mangubat playing splendidly, Mapua University formally made a return to the Final Four of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 100 men’s basketball tournament.

Mangubat delivered a glimpse of his potential when he dropped 16 points to lift the Cardinals to a thrilling 69-68 escape of Lyceum of the Philippines University last Tuesday.

With the win, the Cardinals posted their fifth straight win and entered the Final Four, giving them a chance to win the crown that was denied to them by San Beda University in the best-of-three finals series last year.

Mangubat hit averages of 9.36 points, 3.93 rebounds and 1.93 assists in his impressive first year as Mapua piled 11 wins in 14 matches entering the final stretch of the eliminations.

But more than that, he displayed nerves of steel when he went on a personal five-point swing in the last 30 seconds of their match against the Pirates after nailing a difficult long two from the corner for a tie at 66 before drilling the dagger trey to help Mapua punch a ticket to the semis.

“First, I am thankful to God for giving us the win,” said Mangubat, who was chosen as the Collegiate Press Corps NCAA Player of the Week, backed by the Philippine Sports Commission, and with Discovery Suites and World Balance as minor sponsors for the period of 22 to 30 October.

“I also want to thank Coach Randy Alcantara for trusting me with the last shot that gave us the win. That play was really for me. Although Cyrus (Cuenco) and Clint (Escamis) were also there, it was good that Clint made a good pass to me.”