MAPUA finally looked like the defending champion fans and pundits were expecting it to be after taking down the league-leading Perpetual Help, 77-61, in the battle of the top teams of Group A in the NCAA Season 101, Friday at the Playtime Filoil Center.
The Cardinals went on a 16-0 run to bridge the second and third quarters, turning a 32-30 lead to a commanding 48-30 advantage with 6:40 left in the third period -- a lead they never relinquished.
Clint Escamis headlined Wednesday’s crusade, returning to familiar form with 18 points and five assists, his highest output since their second game against Arellano.
More importantly, Mapua improved to 6-5 and created a one-game separation from its closest pursuer in Arellano (4-6) for the second twice-to-beat advantage in Group A with two games remaining in the classification stage.
Perpetual, which suffered its first losing streak of the season, dropped to 8-3.
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