Clint Escamis, who just celebrated his 22nd birthday, provided key baskets that sent the Mapua Cardinals to an 87-83 upset of the Lyceum Pirates on Saturday in the 99th National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball tournament at the FilOil-EcOil Arena in San Juan.
Escamis scored a triple that shattered an 82-all deadlock and made two charities that pushed the Cardinals to their sixth win in seven outings.
The 5’11” Escamis went on to tally a game-high 20 points, along with Warren Bonifacio, to go with nine rebounds.
The Cardinals, who also drew 15 points from Paolo Hernandez, now share the lead with the Pirates.
“Hindi ako makapaniwala naibanda pa iyung tira. Nung nag-rally, sabi ko sa kanila na ginawa na nila ito sa Arellano, at babalik sila,” said Cardinals coach Randy Alcantara, after they watched their 17-point edge vanish in the last period.
The Pirates, who got 19 points from John Bravo, are set to Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers on Tuesday, while Mapua faces Arellano on Thursday.