Mapua University secured a gritty 73-69 victory against Emilio Aguinaldo College to rise to a share of second in the NCAA Season 99 Seniors Basketball Tournament on Sunday at the Filoil Flying V Centre.
Clint Escamis and Paolo Hernandez played key roles in the win, elevating Mapua to a 4-1 record.
They are now level with Jose Rizal University for second place in the standings.
Down one with a minute to go, Escamis read the passing lane and intercepted a pass from Ochavo, leading to a fastbreak layup for Peter Rosillo to take the lead, 69-68.
After a free throw from Joshua Tolentino that tied the match at 69-69, Paolo Hernandez isolated against the EAC defense. He then knocked down the midrange jumper for a 71-69 lead.
Escamis later hit the game-sealing free throws to finish the game.
Hernandez produced 11 points, three rebounds, and two assists while Escamis tallied 10 points, four rebounds, and three assists.
“The leadership nandoon ni Clint at ni Boni, and of course, ang mga role player namin, hindi sila bumitaw at nagsimula ulit kami sa defense namin. The whole game parang habol kami ng habol, buti na lang noong huli may puso pa rin,” said Randy Alcantara on Mapua’s win.
With Warren Bonifacio playing limited minutes due to a fever, Jopet Soriano stepped up to man the middle, scoring 15 points and blocking four shots.
Ferdie Asuncion had 11 points while JC Recto followed closely with 10.
The Cardinals will face defending champions Colegio de San Juan de Letran next on Wednesday at 4:00 PM.
Nat Cosejo led all scorers with 23 points for the Generals. King Gurtiza and JP Maguliano followed with 10 points each.
Emilio Aguinaldo College, now at 2-2, holds fifth place and will face undefeated Lyceum of the Philippines University also on Wednesday at 2:00 PM.
The Scores:
EAC 69 – Cosejo 23, Gurtiza 10, Maguliano 10, Robin 7, Tolentino 7, Angeles 6, Ochavo 4, Quinal 2, Luciano 0, Cosa 0, Umpad 0, Doria 0, Balowa 0, Bacud 0, Dominguez 0
Mapua 73 – Soriano 15, Hernandez 11, Asuncion 11, Escamis 10, Recto 10, Bonifacio 6, Rosillo 4, Cuenco 4, Fornis 2, Bancale 0, Igliane 0
Quarterscores: 15-20, 35-40, 55-58, 73-69.
