NCAA: Mapua wins third straight, Lyceum rallies to victory

Mapua Cardinals star Clint Escamis.–NCAA PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Mapua staved off a late fightback by Arellano University to win, 77-71, and move into solo second in the NCAA Season 100 men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday at San Juan Arena.

Reigning MVP Clint Escamis helped the Cardinals hang on down the stretch after the Chiefs made a last-ditch efffort.

Escamis came alive when it mattered most, firing 12 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, including back-to-back 3-pointers that put Mapua ahead, 71-59, with 3:30 remaining. He also collected five rebounds, eight assists and four steals.

READ: NCAA: Mapua hitting stride but still far from peak, says Escamis

But the Chiefs, who are riding high after a stunning win over defending champion San Beda four days ago, refused to go down without a fight as they went on a 12-1 surge–spearheaded by Lorenz Capulong–to make it just a one-point game with still 38 ticks to go.

Fortunately for the Cardinals, they had Escamis to turn to in the clutch and the versatile guard came through with a layup and a pair of free throws in the waning seconds of the game.

The victory was Mapua’s third straight to hike its record to 6-2, overtaking idle Letran (5-3) in the standings. College of St. Benilde still leads the pack at 6-1.

Cardinals rookie Chris Hubilla also provided solid contributions with 15 points and eight rebounds.

Capulong had 19 points and eight rebounds for Arellano, which remained at the bottom of the standings with a 2-6 slate.

Lyceum rallies past Perpetual in thriller

Lyceum Pirates during a game against the Perpetual Help Altas in the NCAA Season 100 men’s basketball tournament.–NCAA PHOTO

Renz Villegas and Josh Moralejo came off the bench and led Lyceum in a 64-62 comeback win over Perpetual Help.

With the shot clock winding down, Moralejo banked in the go-ahead triple, 63-62, with 5.4 ticks remaining while Villegas hit a free throw with 0.6 tenths of a second left that capped the Pirates’ 15-4 finishing kick inside the final five minutes.

The Pirates upped their mark to 4-4, tying the Altas in fifth place.

READ: NCAA: EAC squeaks past Lyceum, Mapua grabs share of No. 2

Villegas was brilliant on both ends, finishing with 18 points, five rebounds, three assists and seven steals while another reserve in Jonathan Daileg added 10. Moralejo chipped in eight.

Rookie Mark Gojo Cruz dropped 14 points, five rebounds and three assists for Perpetual Help. Gojo Cruz’s triple gave the Altas a 58-49 advantage with 5:21 to go while his inside basket made it 62-57 with 50.3 seconds left.  Shawn Orgo added 13 points.

The Pirates look for another win on Saturday when they face the Knights, who lost to the Red Lions on Tuesday.