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

Mapua’s Clint Escamis.-NCAA PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Mapua may have climbed into a second-place tie with Letran in the NCAA Season 100 men’s basketball tournament but Clint Escamis knows there’s no time to relax just yet.

The Cardinals chalked up their fifth win in seven games following an 88-81 victory over Jose Rizal University on Sunday with Escamis leading the way.

“This is, of course, very big for us,” said Escamis, the reigning MVP.

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

Mapua’s Clint Escamis after helping Mapua win over Jose Rizal University to gain a 5-2 card. @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/4AfK7dNdaH

— Rommel Fuertes Jr. (@MeloFuertesINQ) September 29, 2024

“Especially, coming into the game, we knew that we needed to bank on wins to keep our distance from other teams.”

The win moved Mapua within just a half-game behind league-leader College of St. Benilde.

With the Cardinals hitting their stride, Escamis said the team is still far from where they want to be.

“There’s always room for improvement,” he said.

“For me, this isn’t the team’s peak yet. We have too many lapses on defense and there are games where we lost to ourselves because we can’t execute our plays right.”

READ: NCAA: Benilde bounces back, Mapua extends Stags’ losing streak

Escamis powered Mapua with 19 points and four rebounds but also got ample support from his teammates with the likes of Lawrence Mangubat and Chris Hubilla also having solid games.

Mangubat scored 16 while former San Beda Red Cubs standout Chris Hubilla added 15.

“I can’t do everything, I will have my off days. It’s good that they’re getting the confidence and rhythm. Hopefully, they mature more in the second round.”