Mapua’s Clint Escamis.-NCAA PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Clint Escamis and Mapua blew a golden opportunity to get back at defending champion San Beda on Tuesday.

In their first meeting since last year’s finals, the Cardinals Faltered against the Red Lions anew this time in overtime.

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As the leader of his team, Escamis made himself accountable for the loss and gave San Beda credit for making the necessary adjustments on the defensive end that made the difference.

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“I tried to be aggressive with my shots to the point that they were forced and that’s on me. I admit that it’s my mistake but I can only learn from these mistakes for the next games,” said Escamis in Filipino.

“In the fourth quarter, I felt the San Beda defense so I trusted my other teammates and they delivered but it just wasn’t enough.”

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Escamis finished with 19 points and five rebounds on a cold-shooting night, sinking just seven of his 19 tries from the field.

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He got off to a hot start, scoring 14 points in the first half but only scored five the rest of the way.

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Marc Cuenco topscored with 20 points but still wasn’t enough as the Cardinals dropped their third consecutive game against the Lions dating back to last season’s championship series.

READ: NCAA: Mapua hitting stride but still far from peak, says Escamis

“They’re the defending champions and they’re the best in adjusting [their defense] against me. They had a few mistakes early in the third quarter but they really adjusted in the fourth.”

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San Beda picked up its third straight victory and forced a three-way tie with Mapua and Letran at second place with identical 6-3 slates. College of St. Benilde continues to pace the pack at 7-2.

“We need to maintain the first or second seed so we’ll have a twice-to-beat advantage. That’s the big thing for us so we’ll go back to the drawing board,” said the former University of the East guard.

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