By: Miguel Caramoan
With one of Clint Escamis’ best scoring games of the season, Mapua University pulled away to claim a convincing 77-61 victory over the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA in the NCAA Season 101 Seniors Basketball Tournament on Friday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre, securing solo second place in Group A.
The win was a strong bounce-back for the Cardinals, who fell 75-65 to the Altas in their first-round encounter.
Season 100 Finals MVP Escamis led the charge with 18 points, two rebounds, and five assists, while Cyrus Cuenco contributed 13 points, four rebounds, and four assists.
“For me, big win ito kasi we haven’t won a game kalaban sila the whole year eh. Mga two, three games nung preseason, talo kami,” Escamis said on how he approached the game against Perpetual.
“Kaya sobrang aggressive ko starting, and sinasabi ko sa kanila na di tayo matalo ngayon kasi matatapos yung taon na wala tayong panalo sa kanila. Nasaan yung championship mentality doon? Ayun yung ininstill ko.”
Mapua dominated the first half and kept the pressure on in the second. Their largest lead came at 60-42 following a basket from Drex Delos Reyes early in the fourth quarter.
Perpetual, however, made a late push to cut the deficit to 62-55 through JB Boral’s two free throws with 5:35 left in the fourth. But back-to-back triples from Concepcion and Cuenco restored Mapua’s control at 69-56 with just over three minutes remaining.
The victory pushed Mapua above .500 at 6-5 and cemented their hold on second place in Group A.
“Same energy, sabi ko nga hindi pwede yung 18-0 start [against Benilde] and ayun — execution and play hard defense. Nakita naman natin na nag-eenjoy na sila dahil nakaka-stop and nakaka-layup,” Alcantara said on how he wants Mapua to approach their final two games of the eliminations.
The Cardinals will look to extend their winning streak against San Sebastian on Tuesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
Despite consecutive losses, the Altas remain at the top of Group A with an 8-3 record, securing a twice-to-beat advantage for the quarterfinals. Alcantara was the only Perpetual player to reach double digits, finishing with 10 points.
Perpetual’s next game will be against the Arellano Chiefs on Sunday, also at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
The Scores:
Mapua 77 – Escamis 18, Cuenco 13, Concepcion 11, Sapasap 10, Gonzales 8, Igliane 7, Delos Reyes 4, Lazarte 2, Nitura 2, Abdulla 2, Callangan 0, Gulapa 0, Reyes 0, Ryan 0
Perpetual 61 – Alcantara 10, Sleat 9, Maglupay 9, Gojo Cruz 8, Boral 8, Casinillo 6, Tulabut 5, Orgo 3, Abis 2, Nunez 1, Duremdes 0, Pagulayan 0, Guibao 0
Quarterscores: 16-12, 40-30, 58-42, 77-61
