Clint Escamis finally rediscovered his touch, leading Mapua University to a morale-boosting 85-78 win against Emilio Aguinaldo College in the NCAA Season 101 on Tuesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The graduating guard, who had struggled offensively in the last five games, starred with 20 points on top of four rebounds, four assists, and two steals as the Cardinals ended a tough three-game losing streak.
The defending champions have improved to 4-4 in Group A following a string of losses to Group B powerhouse teams San Beda, Letran, and JRU while the Generals slipped to 4-5.
"First of all thank you Lord na naputol na 'yung three straight losses namin. Kaming mga coaches, syempre kailangan pa rin namin talagang pagtrabahuhin kung ano pa 'yung pwede naming maitulong sa mga players," Mapua head coach Randy Alcantara.
"Even the players nagusap-usap din. Itong lineup na 'to, everybody can shoot."
[First of all, thank you Lord that the streak of three straight losses was snapped. Us coaches, we need to really work on what we can do the help the players... Even the players have been talking. With this lineup, everybody can shoot.]
Escamis showed early signs that he regained his vintage form, dropping 11 of his total output in the first half to enable the Cardinals to take a slim 48-44 lead against an EAC side that was missing the services of veteran winger Wilmar Oftana.
But Mapua also got enough lift from the rest of the crew with Earl Sapasap completing a three-point play and Cyrus Cuenco hitting a triple for a 69-63 cushion before heading to the fourth.
Escamis then issued the dime that led to a Sapasap three-pointer to open the fourth before knocking down a long bomb of his own to bring Mapua to a 75-65 lead.
The Generals tried to mount a fightback courtesy of a timely triple from Rico Postanes, but Cyril Gonzales returned the favor by sinking a floater and completing two free throws as Mapua raced to an 81-70 advantage with 3:22 left.
Another Escamis pass set the stage for a Yam Concepcion layup before the former MVP sealed it from the line with two freebies as Mapua returned to the win column.
Gonzales chipped in 14 points, four rebounds, one assist, and one steal while Concepcion and JC Recto posted 13 and 11 markers to help the Cardinals end their slump.
For EAC, Brianne Angeles picked up the scoring cudgels with a team-high 13 points together with six rebounds while Jude Bagay and Aldeo Lucero tallied 12 and 11 markers each.
The win served as a confidence booster for Mapua, especially as they gear up for their next assignment against their former finals foe, De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde, next Tuesday at the historic Rizal Memorial.
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
