MANILA — Jamal Diaz drilled back-to-back three-pointers in the dying seconds as Mapua University stunned defending champion San Beda University, 55-54, to finally break into the win column in the NCAA Season 102 men’s basketball tournament Monday at the Playtime FilOil Centre in San Juan.
With the Cardinals staring at a fourth straight defeat after the Red Lions seized a 54-49 advantage in the closing minutes, Diaz took over and single-handedly erased the five-point deficit with a decisive 6-0 run.
Diaz buried his first triple to pull Mapua within two before knocking down another from beyond the arc that gave the Cardinals a 55-54 advantage with only 12.4 seconds remaining.
Mapua then denied San Beda on its final possession to complete the upset and improve to 1-3 in Group A after opening its campaign with three consecutive losses.
Diaz finished with eight points and five rebounds, but all six of his points in the closing stretch proved crucial in bringing down the defending champions.
“Pumasok lang sa isip ko na bad start ako no’ng pinasok ako. Tin tanong ako ni coach Chito (Victolero), ‘naduduwag ka ba?’ Tinake ko na lang yung chance,” Diaz said.
“Pinaghirapan ko ‘tong mga ‘to kaya pumasok ‘yong mga tira ko. Sana magtuloy-tuloy na ‘yong panalo namin. Galing kami sa baba. Ang sarap sa feeling na umangat ulit kumpiyansa namin,” he added.
Cyrus Cuenco carried much of Mapua’s offense with 19 points on an efficient 6-of-10 shooting clip while also pulling down four rebounds.
RC Calimag paced San Beda with 18 points, while Lawrence Hawkins chipped in 13 and Sean Torculas added 10 as the Red Lions slipped to a 2-2 record.
Meanwhile, Arellano University remained perfect in Group B after surviving Colegio de San Juan de Letran, 82-81, behind a career performance from T-Mc Ongotan.
Ongotan erupted for a career-high 29 points and hauled down 12 rebounds for a double-double, powering the Chiefs to their fourth consecutive victory and making them the tournament’s lone unbeaten team at 4-0.
“Nakita naman dito ‘yong effort namin. Muntik na, pero gawa sa effort ng team, napunta sa amin yung panalo,” said Ongotan. “Nagka-isa kami at ‘yong goal namin, nando’n, kaya wala kaming excuses.”
Chad Gammad led Letran with 23 points, Justin Cargo added 20, while Denzil Walker contributed 10 in the loss./PN
