By Kevin Estrada
Mapúa took a giant leap in stopping their championship drought as it trounced St. Benilde, 84-73, to take game one of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Finals on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum
Top-seeded Cardinals tore the Blazers apart with relentless aggression on both ends of the floor in the opener of the best-of-three title series.
The win enabled Mapúa to move closer in ending a futile wait for an NCAA crown, with their head coach Randy Alcantara himself being a part of the 1991 squad that last won it all.
Guard Clint Escamis followed up his Final Four showing by exploding for 30 points on a 12/21 (57%) field-goal shooting, including 17 in a scintillating first-quarter storm for the Cardinals.
The reigning league MVP was also a menace on the defensive end for Mapúa, tallying five of the team’s 19 steals that disrupted CSB’s offensive game plan.
Overall, the Cardinals converted 34 points off the 23 Blazer turnovers for the game.
Despite the win, Escamis stressed the need to keep their eyes on the prize, knowing too well the heavy price of overconfidence.
“Kausap ko sila after nung mag-hymn. Sabi ko: We’ve been here before, we don’t want to experience last year again,” he said, referring to last year’s stinging defeat to San Beda in the championship series.
Help came for Escamis in their forward tandem of JC Recto and John Jabonete who poured in 15 and 8 markers, respectively while coming off the bench.
Jabonete’s three-point play in the early part of the fourth quarter gave Mapúa its largest lead at 14 points, 62-48.
Center Allen Liwag put up a double-double of 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Blazers, who fell into an 0-1 hole like what they experienced two years ago.
The scores:
MAPÚA 84 – Escamis 30, Recto 15, Hubilla 9, Mangubat 8, Jabonete 8, Cuenco 4, Concepcion 4, Bancale 3, Igliane 3, Ryan 0, Abdulla 0
ST. BENILDE 73 – Liwag 18, Cometa 13, Ancheta 10, Sangco 9, Sanchez 9, Ynot 7, Oli 3, Torres 2, Eusebio 2, Morales 0
Quarter scores: 26-20, 42-37, 57-48, 84-73
