MAPUA University will look to secure its fifth consecutive victory when it faces University of Perpetual Help System-Dalta in the crossover round of the NCAA Season 102 men’s basketball tournament on Friday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City. Currently holding a 5-3 record, the Mapua Cardinals aim to climb higher in the Group A standings. They take on the Perpetual Altas at 3 p.m., followed by a matchup between winless San Sebastián College-Recoletos (0-7) and Lyceum of the Philippines University (2-5) at 5 p.m. The Cardinals started their campaign with three consecutive losses before bouncing back with four straight wins against San Beda University, Arellano University, Emilio Aguinaldo College, and Letran. In their narrow 69-67 victory over Letran, Mapua displayed a well-rounded offensive attack. Five players—Yam Concepcion, Lance Nitura, Marcus Nitura, Jamal Diaz, and Marc Igliane—contributed identical 11-point performances to seal the win. Mapua currently sits behind Group A leaders Benilde (6-1), Jose Rizal University (6-1), and San Beda University (5-3). A victory against Perpetual could allow Mapua to overtake defending champions San Beda in the standings and boost their bid for a twice-to-beat advantage in the next round. The Cardinals will need to get past the Perpetual Altas, who are eager to snap a four-game skid. Perpetual is coming off an 89-98 defeat against Lyceum, despite a strong showing from Ray Maglupay and LA Casinillo, who tallied 19 and 17 points, respectively. Meanwhile, the 5 p.m. fixture features Group B’s bottom-seeded San Sebastián seeking its first win of the season against Group A’s Lyceum.  The Golden Stags suffered a 102-78 blowout loss to the JRU Heavy Bombers and will lean on Rey Gabat and Niel Castor, while Lyceum counters with the duo of Matthew Rubico and Renz Villegas. Under tournament rules, the top two teams from each pool will secure a twice-to-beat quarterfinals advantage, while the bottom two teams will advance to the play-in round.