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| Jimboy Estrada sealed Letran's win with clutch free throws after Clint Escamis blew Mapua's chances late. NCAA |
MANILA––Letran made sure Clint Escamis' missed shots at crunch time would hurt Mapua a lot as the former escaped with an 85-82 overtime win in their NCAA men's basketball battle on Tuesday at the Playtime FilOil Centre in San Juan City.
Aaron Buensalida cmmitted a huge blunder when he fouled Escamis while taking a three-pointer with 22.7 seconds left and the Knights up four, 83-81.
However, Escamis, a known steady free throw shooter, only made 1-for-3 from the foul line, and the Cardinals, instead of being ahead by one point, was trailing by one.
Jonathan Manalili nearly lost the basketball but was still able to pass it to Jimboy Estrada, who made two free throws for the three-point cushion with 11.7 seconds remaining.
Escamis had a chance to redeem himself, but he missed a three-pointer that could have forced another overtime, and JC Recto missed an ill-advised layup attempt as time ran out on Mapua.
Estrada led Letran, now on a four-game winning streak after a 0-3 start and 3-0 so far in the inter-group phase, with 20 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals off the bench.
Kevin Santos added 17 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and three blocks, while Buensalida contributed 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, 10 rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.
Manalili put up 14 points, six rebounds, 10 assists, and one steal.
Cyrus Nitura led Mapua, which lost back-to-back games and three of its last four following a 2-0 start, with 19 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, and one block.
The scores:
LETRAN 85 – Estrada 20, Santos 17, Buensalida 16, Manalili 14, Cuajao 9, Omega 4, Gammad 3, Rosilio 2, Yusi 0, Gazzingan 0
MAPÚA 82 – Nitura 19, Gonzales 17, Escamis 14, Cuenco 10, Sapasap 9, Delos Reyes 7, Recto 4, Concepcion 2, Igliane 0, Lazarte 0, Gulapa 0
Quarterscores: 25-12, 41-38, 53-62, 78-78, 85-82
