By: Rylie San Juan
Jimboy Estrada during the first quarter of the matchup versus the Mapua Cardinals. Photo by: Maverick Rhoy De Vera/ The LANCE
The winning streak continues for the Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights after upsetting the defending champs, Mapua Cardinals 85 - 82, in a tight contest that went into overtime, earlier today at the NCAA Season 101 Seniors Basketball Tournament held at the Playtime FilOil Centre in San Juan City.
Jimboy Estrada led the Knights in scoring, racking up 20 points, along with two steals and two assists. Kevin Santos and Aaron Buensalida chipped in with 17 points and 16 points respectively.
Santos performed well in the opening tip, delivering a highlight dunk to open the scoring board for Letran. The defensive prowess of Jonathan Manalili was in full display early on as he forced multiple turnovers on the side of Mapua.
The defending champs were not backing down however, as Clint Escamis led the charge for Mapua, along with Cyrus Nitura. Both trying to keep Letran in check.
The tandem of Manalili and Santos was a problem for the Cardinals on both the offensive and defensive sides of the court, racking up steals and blocks to hold the Cardinals to only 12 points while the Knights secured a 15-point cushion by the end of the quarter, 27-12.
The pesky defense of the Knights continued into the second period as Jimboy Estrada opened the quarter with a steal but was unable to sink the fastbreak pull-up. Mapua picked up their defense and built up momentum, scoring off of fastbreaks which were too quick for the Knights to handle. Drex Delos Reyes’ post scoring paired with Nitura’s quick drives to the basket chipped away at the Knights’ lead. By halftime, the Letran lead was reduced to only three points, 41-38.
Nitura went to work right away, come the third quarter, scoring two points on a floater to put Mapua within one, but Buensalida answered right back with an easy bucket from inside the paint. The lead change in the third went back-and-forth, as both teams were unwilling to give an edge to the other. Deo Cuajao tallied his first three-ball to tie the game at 46 apiece after a quiet first and second quarter.
Escamis continued to push the pace alongside Cyril Gonzales, utilizing fastbreak layups and their ability to draw fouls which left Letran left scrambling for answers. As the quarter concluded, Mapua was able to cling on to a nine point lead, 62-53.
Letran’s turnovers piled up early on in the fourth, as the Cardinals were successful in pressuring the ball handlers and anticipating passes. Late in the fourth quarter, the Knights went back to playing off of their big men, Santos and Buensalida, which further reduced Mapua’s lead.
On back-to-back plays, Manalili was able to find Santos underneath the basket to tally four crucial points that placed them on top by one. But the game was not over for Marc Cuenco as he drained a bank shot from deep that gave Mapua the lead, 78-76,
A foul on the other end sent Manalili to the line, and after drilling two free throws, the game was at a deadlock once again at 78 as the buzzer sounded to signal the end of regulation.
Mapua held a three point lead early in overtime as Letran struggled to stay in possession of the ball. The Estrada-Manalili duo went to work, as Estrada scored three consecutive points for the Knights, Manalili followed it up with a shifty spin move, slashing to the basket and giving the lead back to Letran 83-81.
A crucial foul was committed by Buensalida in the final seconds of overtime that sent Escamis to the charity stripe for three shots. Escamis missed two, only sinking the third and final shot. After a couple of free throws from Estrada, Letran secured their fourth straight win of the season.
Cyrus Nitura contributed 19 points and dished out three assists with one block, Cyril Gonzaga ended the game with 17 points, while Clint Escamis scored 14 for the Cardinals.
In a postgame interview, Manalili was asked about his thoughts on beating the defending champions, “Composed lang tayo”, “Wag lang tayong masyadong tight, kasi nga Mapua is a physical team” he replied. He was also asked about his late game matchup, defending Escamis to which he said “Sabi ko kailangan ko ma-stop ‘to (Escamis) ‘di lang ako puro opensa”.
Manalili also shared what Escamis told him before shooting two crucial free throws “Parang may sinabi siya (Escamis) sakin na… Dito mo patunayan, Bata.”
“Kailangan ko ipakita sa kanya na kaya ko parin makipagsabayan kahit nasa college na ‘ko” he added.
The Letran Knights will battle to extend their winning streak as they face the Arellano Chiefs on Sunday, October 26, at the Playtime FilOil Centre in San Juan City.
QUARTERSCORES: 25-12, 41-38, 53-62, 78-78, 85-82
CSJL (85) - Estrada 20, Santos 17, Buensalida 16, Manalili 14, Cuajao 9, Omega 4, Gammad 3, Rosilio 2, Tapenio 0, Yusi 0.
MU (82) - Nitura 19, Gonzales 17, Escamis 14, Cuenco 10, Sapasap 9, Delos Reyes 7, Recto 4, Concepcion 2, Gulapa 0, Igliane 0, Lazarte 0.