By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Games Tuesday (Filoil EcoOil Centre)
11 a.m. – Lyceum vs EAC
2:30 p.m. – JRU vs Perpetual
Want more proof why Clint Escamis won the coveted MVP plum last year?
This one was huge. Classic.
Like a true assassin, Escamis did not disappoint, beating the buzzer with a three-point shot to lift the Mapua Cardinals to a pulsating 75-73 win over the frontrunning College of St. Benilde Blazers in the NCAA Season 100 men’s basketball at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City on Sunday, Nov. 10.
His heroics started with a steal off Allen Liwag in a move so swift that left the CSB star bewildered before launching what he believed the biggest shot of a storied NCAA career.
And when the ball gently swished in, Mapua supporters erupted in sheer joy, while CSB’s own backers were left horrified. Some were even furious.
Mapua’s victory, which extended its winning streak to seven games, not only improved its win-loss tally to 13-3 but also forged a two-way tie with its victim at the helm. It also halted St. Benilde’s five-game winning run and more than that, the Cardinals avenged their 78-65 opening-day loss last Sept. 7.
Even Escamis was surprised by the sequence of his brilliance.
“Speechless ako sa nangyari,” said Escamis, who finished with 26 points, four rebounds, five assists and the lone crucial steal that decided the outcome of the game.
“Tumingin ako sa time, four seconds na lang. Medyo malayo pa to do a layup and may defender dun, kaya naisipan ko na lang to make that shot.”
“Yun talaga biggest shot of my career so far. I made clutch shots the past season, but never a game-winner with a Steph-Curry range,” he added.
Mapua actually trailed as many as 20 points in the game, 54-34, but produced scoring spurts in the third where it held St. Benilde to only nine points while firing 21 to cut its deficit to only three, 60-63.
A Marc Cuenco trey and an Escamis layup put the Cardinals ahead, 72-70, with 2:34 left before Liwag and Winston Ynot conspired for four points to help the Blazers regain the upperhand, 73-72.
But then it was Escamis’ time to shine.
Lawrence Mangubat also came through with 12 points for Mapua, while Yam Concepcion chipped in 11 points and five boards.
The Cardinals also took advantage of the Blazers’ erratic plays, converting 24 turnover points, while managing with only five turnovers throughout the game.
Four players scored in double figures in a losing cause for St. Benilde, with Liwag posting 15 points, and the trio of Ian Torres, Gab Cometa and Matthew Oli managing 10 apiece.
The scores:
MAPUA 75 – Escamis 26, Mangubat 12, Concepcion 11, Cuenco 8, Hubilla 5, Recto 5, Igliane 4, Bancale 4 Fermin 0, Abdulla 0.
ST. BENILDE 73 – Liwag 15, Torres 10, Cometa 10, Oli 10, Ynot 9, Sanchez 7, Ancheta 5, Eusebio 3, Cajucom 3, Sangco 1, Ondoa 0, Morales 0, Turco 0.
Quarters: 16-28; 39-54; 60-63; 75-73.
