MANILA – Mapua University Cardinals overcame a fourth-quarter uprising by Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals for an 83-77 victory in the NCAA Season 99 men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday night at the FilOil EcoOil Arena in San Juan City.
Clint Escamis tallied 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and three steals; Warren Bonifacio added 14 markers; and JC Recto contributed a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Cardinals, which moved to solo first place with an 11-3 slate.
Leading by as much as 19 points early in the game, the Generals surprised the Cardinals with a furious fourth quarter run to cut the deficit to 76-80 on two free throws by JP Maguliano.
The Generals could not pull even closer as they missed their next three-point attempts, while the Cardinals were able to secure the victory on free throw conversions by Escamis.
“We treat every game as like the Final Four; hindi kami puwedeng makampante since lahat ng NCAA teams ay malalakas,” said Escamis. “Also, ‘yung mentality lang din namin, every game is kumpiyansa lang with our shots.”
Maguliano finished with a double-double of 29 points and 10 rebounds; Kyle Ochavo added 15 markers with four three-pointers; and Nat Cosejo had 14 points and 10 rebounds as the Generals dropped to a 7-7 slate.
Meanwhile, San Sebastian College-Recoletos Golden Stags exacted revenge on the dethroned champions Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights with a dominant 94-75 victory.
Rafael Are led the way for the Golden Stags with 23 points, four rebounds, and six assists, while Romel Calahat added 21 points as they kept their Final Four hopes alive with their 5-9 win-loss slate.
Alex Desoyo and Reggz Gabat contributed 13 points apiece, while Tristan Felebrico flirted with a double-double, recording 10 points and nine rebounds for the Golden Stags.
Jay Garupil finished with 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists, while Kobe Monje and Rafael Go added 13 points each for the Knights, which fell further to last place with a 1-13 slate./PN
