From the beginning, Colegio de San Juan de Letran quickly eyed the prize for a hopeful first win in the NCAA 93 Men’s Basketball Tournament as they had the advantage all throughout the match.
However, Mapua Cardinal graduating guard Andrew Estrella was not yet ready to hand the prize that easily.
As the fourth quarter slowly came to a close, both teams were tied to 75-all. Veteran Estrella drove through Letran Knights big man Jeo Ambohot and shot a prefect trey ending the match, 78-75, Tuesday at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
Mapua Cardinals improved their record to 1-1 after their opening loss against Arellano Chiefs in season opener match last Saturday.
“Basta tinira ko lang eh. Tapos na-shoot,” Estrella recalled during the post-game interview. “Sabi lang ni coach, kunin ko lang yung bola at sakin na ‘yung last shot.”
With five seconds left on the clock, the Letran Knights could have pushed for an overtime, but Rey Nambatac’s attempt for a three failed as his shot only hit the rim of the basket.
Estrella made a huge contribution to the team, as he led the Mapua Cardinals with seven straight points in the last two minutes of the end quarter to square off with Knights. He had 18 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and seven steals.
Leo Gabo, who had just served his last game of suspension from three years ago, added 12 points. While JR Raflores had a double-double 12 points and 11 rebounds.
From a 0-8 record in the 2017 FilOil Flying V Preseason tournament, the Cardinals celebrated their first win, also after losing their NCAA 93 debut last Saturday against Arellano University.
Jerrick Balanza led Letran with 15 points. Rey Nambatac added 13 points while Bong Quinto and JP Calvo, added a total of 23 points. Ambohot on the other hand had a double-double 11 points and 12 rebounds.
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