Mapua University’s last-minute rally brought the Cardinals a come-from-behind 69-66 victory over the Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights in the second round of the NCAA Season 99 Seniors Basketball Tournament on Saturday at the Filoil Ecooil Centre.
The trio of Paolo Hernandez, Clint Escamis, and Warren Bonifacio spearheaded the comeback.
The three leaders of Mapua each had their moment to shine in the last two minutes of the game. Together, they rallied the Cardinals back into the game against Letran, and all three of them made the right decisions to secure the win.
Trailing by four points with 1:23 left in the game, Paolo Hernandez stepped up to make a crucial three-point shot, his only field goal in the game.
On the other end, the Cardinals forced a turnover, and the ball found its way to Clint Escamis.
He sank a fadeaway mid-range jumper, giving Mapua a 65-64 lead for the first time since the first quarter.
With 32 seconds left and Letran regaining a one-point lead after Deo Cuajao’s score, a chaotic defensive scramble from Letran left team captain Warren Bonifacio wide open for a mid-range jumper.
Bonifacio had struggled all night and shot 1-of-10 from the field. Thus, he opted to pass the ball to a wide-open Jopet Soriano under the basket, resulting in a 67-66 lead with 32 seconds remaining.
Escamis then sealed the game with free throws.
“Siyempre doon kami magrerely sa tatlo eh. Si Paolo sorry ng sorry kasi na-foul trouble nung na-drivean siya ni Cuajao at napa-timeout, so sabi niya babawi. Ako naman mataas trust ko sa kanya,” shared Cardinals head coach Randy Alcantara.
Ginampanan lang nila yung role nila, tapos si Clint may ganoong clutch moment. Si Boni, palagi naming pinag-aalala sa jumpshot ni Boni, nakikita namin libre si Jopet. Buti na lang yung decision-making niya sa huli umabot kay Jopet.”
Mapua fought through a hyper-physical Letran team.
Bonifacio himself was the recipient of three different unsportsmanlike fouls from Paolo Javillonar and Ira Batallier, resulting in the ejection of Javilonar.
Cardinals head coach Randy Alcantara said, “Pansin namin ‘pag Letran, nandiyan yung physicality. Sabi ko lang kay Boni at sa bigman, si Pao Javillonar, kasama na yan sa top ng physicality. Tanggap lang ng tanggap, bawal tayo bumawi kasi at the end of the day, kami rin maapektohan ng ganoon.”
Escamis was the game’s leading scorer with 21 points, shooting a perfect 7-of-7 clip from the free-throw line. Soriano was the only other Cardinal in double digits with 14 points.
Bonifacio and Hernandez struggled from the field, but they delivered when it mattered most, combining for 13 points on 2-of-17 shooting.
The Cardinals took a one-game advantage over second-place Lyceum of the Philippines University for the top spot in the standings, improving to 9-2.
The two teams are set to battle for control of the top spot on Friday at 4:00 PM.
Letran had four players in double digits, but their offensive efforts fell short of a victory. Reyson led the way with 16 points, followed by Cuajao with 12.
Kint Ariar and James Jumao-as contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Letran continued to struggle with late-game collapses as their record dropped to 1-10. The Knights are looking ahead to their game against Emilio Aguinaldo College, also on Friday at 2:00 PM.
The Scores:
Mapua 69- Escamis 21, Soriano 14, Bonifacio 8, Hernandez 5, Cuenco 5, Recto 5, Rodillo 4, Dalisay 3, Bancale 2, Fornis 2, Asuncion 0, Igliane 0
Letran 66- Reyson 17, Cuajao 12, Ariar 11, Jumao-as 10, Batallier 4, Bojorcelo 4, Monje 4, Santos 2, Javillonar 2, Garupil 0, Go 0
Quarterscores: 15-17, 31-38, 50-54, 69-66
