By Angelo Jacinto
MAPUA held tough in the end game and rolled onto the NCAA Season 99 semifinals as the hottest team in the league after surviving Jose Rizal University, 77-74, in the Filoil Eco Oil Center in San Juan.
The Cardinals' win bumped the Heavy Bombers from the playoff picture and gave San Beda and College of St. Benilde - which lost to EAC just hours earlier - a free ride to the Final Four as the No. 3 and 4th seeds, respectively.
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The Cardinals survived a late rally from the Heavy Bombers that saw their 10-point lead disappear in a matter of minutes as Agem Miranda sparked a 13-3 run to tie the game at 72 with 2:30 remaining.
MVP front-runner Clint Escamis had other plans though as he responded with a tightly contested three-pointer in the next possession, a shot which gave the Cardinals a three point lead and shifted the momentum back to them.
A technical foul on Jonathan Medina didn’t help Jose Rizal’s case as the Heavy Bombers’ composure — or lack thereof — late in the game once again proved costly.
This allowed Escamis to put the finishing touches with a technical free throw, but he did leave the door open for the Bombers on his next two trips to the line after making just one of his four shots from the line.
Joshua Guiab had one last shot to tie the game but his shot went wide to give the Cardinals the win and formally push the Heavy Bombers out of contention.
“Number one na motivation talaga namin is makabawi from our loss nung round one sa JRU so hindi ko na tinitignan kung six straight ito, ang importante nakabawi kami at nakapasok kami sa final four na galing kami sa panalo,” Mapua head coach Randy Alcantara said.
Escamis all but cemented his MVP plum as he finished with 25 points, five steals, four rebounds and four assists.
Warren Bonifacio added 17 points and five boards while JC Recto filled the statsheet with 11 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals as the Cardinals ended the elims with six straight wins to improve to 15-3 and clamp on the top seed of the tournament – the first time in school history they ended up as No. 1.
It was a heartbreaking end to the Heavy Bombers’ campaign who looked poised to finally break into the Final Four in the Louie Gonzales era. Unfortunately, the efforts of Miranda and Guiab – who both churned in 16 points – went down the drain.
The scores:
Mapua 77- Escamis 25, Bonifacio 17, Cuenco 13, Recto 11, Hernandez 6, Rosillo 3, Soriano 2, Fornis 0, Dalisay 0, Asuncion 0
JRU 74- Miranda 16, Guiab 16, Dela Rosa 9, Ramos 8, Delos Santos 8, Dionisio 8, Medina 6, Sarmiento 2, Mosqueda 2, Pabico 0, De Leon 0, Arenal 0, Argente 0, Sy 0
Quarterscores: 17-9; 33-31; 60-54; 77-74
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