Mark Acosta sizzled with 21 points including four of the 11 booming triples by his team while Erwin Cornejo and Jason Pascual scattered 13 and 12 points, respectively, to send the Cardinals to their first win after dropping their first two assignments. “It’s nice to win finally this season,” said rookie coach Chito Victolero, who took over from Leo Isaac, now coaching in the pros, late last year. Team leader Allan Mangahas continued to struggle as he could manage only eight shots and made three of them to end up with seven points in barely 16 minutes on the court. Thankfully, the other players stepped up. “He provides us with his leadership and he creates situation for his other teammates,” said Victolero of the energetic Mangahas. “But if he can score more, why not.” The Cardinals, who made it to the Final Four but lost to eventual champion San Beda last season, took the Great Danes out of their comfort zone from start to finish. In fact, Mapua silenced AUF’s top two scorers—Aaron Santos and Matt Carney, who had 29 and 24 points in an 86-75 thrashing of the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals Monday. The power-playing Carney, an Amerasian, this time was held to just seven points and turned the ball six times while Santos fared even worse as he was held to just two shots he both muffed from behind the arc to finish with a big fat egg. The Great Danes fell to their second loss against a win.