FILE—Mapua’s CJ Isit soars for the basket. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
With the painful memory of his woeful free throw shooting from last week still firmly on his mind, CJ Isit knew he had to bounce back big.
And he chose the perfect opportunity for his redemption as the Mapua playmaker helped his team drop San Beda, 101-97, in overtime on Thursday.
The Fil-Canadian guard took charge in extra time, unleashing eight of his 15 points on top of six rebounds, and four steals as the Cardinals beat the Red Lions for the first time in three years.
“It’s definitely a big win coming off a hard loss in a game we thought we should have won. To beat one of the top seeds is a good thing for our team,” he said.
There’s no denying that Isit was motivated to deliver, especially after that horrid 2-of-9 free throw shooting in Mapua’s 69-67 defeat to San Sebastian last Friday.
But it wasn’t just him, as the rest of the Cardinals failed to make the most of their opportunity and shot 18-of-36 from the charity stripe in that game.
“Our whole team spent a lot of time shooting free throws. We missed 18 last game and today, we only missed 10, so there’s a bit of an improvement there,” he said.
And it showed, with Mapua going 21-of-31 from the 15-foot line this time out.
“We definitely took it to heart,” he said. “We got overconfident and complacent and I’m just proud of the guys that we stayed mentally intact from the opening buzzer to the end of overtime. It goes to show that if you play focused in the game, good things will come off it.”
The win allowed Mapua to stay in firm hold of the fourth spot at 8-5, as the race to the Final Four heats up in NCAA Season 92.
“This win gives our team that boost of confidence and allows us to bounce back and look forward to our next games,” said Isit. “We have two or three teams behind us so every game for us is a must win.”