Luke Felipe proved his worth as he led debuting Far Eastern University to a close 98-97 victory over erstwhile-undefeated Emilio Aguinaldo College in Group Edge of the 2023 Pinoyliga Collegiate Cup at the EAC Gymnasium on Sunday.
Felipe, an incoming freshman was the top scorer for the Tamaraws with 24 points, shooting 11-of-13 from the floor and grabbing two rebounds.
The Generals suffered their first loss in three games.
Meanwhile, Kingsley Ududo carried Guang Ming College to its first win, upsetting San Sebastian College-Recoletos, 74-71.
Ududo had a dominant performance with 22 points, 14 rebounds, and two blocks, giving his team a 1-2 slate. San Sebastian fell to 2-1.
Stephen Ihebem played a significant role for Udodo, almost achieving a double-double of nine points, 14 rebounds, and two assists, while Kurt Latactao also nearly had a double-double with nine points, nine rebounds, and four assists.
CJ Dumalagan contributed 10 points and three assists for GMC.
On the other hand, Reggz Gabat and Alex Desoyo both scored double-digits for the Golden Stagss, with 18 and 15, respectively, and Gabat also grabbed 10 rebounds. James Una contributed 10 rebounds with two points and two assists for San Sebastian.
Meanwhile, Clint Escamis delivered his usual impressive performance for Mapua University, leading his team to a narrow 80-79 win over Philippine Christian University, taking the solo lead in Group Prime.
Escamis flirted with a triple-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists, bouncing back from their loss against University of Perpetual Help System DALTA in the 2023 FilOil EcoOil Preseason Cup last Saturday.
Joaqui Garcia backed up Escamis with 14 points, while Renz Nocum contributed 13 points. Jopet Soriano and Christopher Recto scored 11 and ten points, respectively, for Mapua.
Yanick Tizie paced PCU with a game-high 27 points and eight rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to secure a win, while Yam Concepcion added 16 points.
The Cardinals improved their record to 2-0, while the Dolphins are still winless in two games with a 0-2 record.
