Romwel Anzures

Mapua University star Clint Escamis against College of Saint Benilde in NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball. Photo by Angela Davocol/NCAA Philippines.

Article (news)

ABS-CBN Lifestyle

<div style="line-height:1.5"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1764155306439IMG_7731.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Mapua University star Clint Escamis against College of Saint Benilde in NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball. <em>Photo by Angela Davocol/NCAA Philippines.</em></span></span></span>MANILA — Clint Escamis was quick to acknowledge his struggles in Mapua University’s 73–58 win over the College of Saint Benilde in the NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball quarterfinals on Wednesday.</div><p style="line-height:1.5">The Cardinals’ prized playmaker finished with just two points — both from the foul line — after firing blanks on 10 attempts from the field.</p><p style="line-height:1.5">“Off nga ako, zero-of-10, I know that, but this is not the time to lose confidence,” said the 25-year-old, who also tallied five rebounds, four assists, and a steal against the Blazers.</p><p style="line-height:1.5">But even with his struggles, the one-time MVP isn’t losing sleep, saying he knows his capability to bounce back and deliver come their next game.</p><p style="line-height:1.5">“I’m still confident. May frustrations, pero there is no time to be frustrated. I need to stay engaged,” he added.</p><p style="line-height:1.5">Fortunately for Mapua, Cyril Gonzales stepped up with 17 points, while JC Recto and Marc Cuenco scored 11 and 10, respectively, and Escamis said that this was by design.</p><p style="line-height:1.5">“I just fed yung teammates kong mainit,” he shared. “Lahat nag-contribute, so sobrang natutuwa nga ako.”</p><div style="line-height:1.5"><br/></div><div style="line-height:1.5"><strong>No more tomorrow for the defending champions</strong></div><p style="line-height:1.5">Along with his personal struggles, the Cardinals also entered the playoffs with a twice-to-beat disadvantage against Benilde, as they lost Group A’s second seed to Arellano University last Saturday.</p><p style="line-height:1.5">Escamis pointed out that this was exactly how they anticipated their Season 101 campaign would be — full of struggles given their tag as defending champions — and now it’s up to them to face the situation at hand.</p><p style="line-height:1.5">“Yung playoffs namin, nag-start after nung talo namin sa Arellano. Imbis na magsisihan, tinake na lang namin yung cards that we were dealt with,” Escamis said.</p><p style="line-height:1.5">“Alam namin simula pa lang, it’s not going to be easy, so kailangan lang talaga maging intact kami,” he added.</p><p style="line-height:1.5">The Cardinals moved a step closer to overcoming their woes by forcing a decider on Friday against the Blazers, and getting the job done will take being the mentally tougher team.</p><p style="line-height:1.5">“‘Pag natalo kami, wala na kaming bukas, so mas kailangan nang dumiin pa at dagdagan pa yung effort,” he stressed.<strong></strong><br/></p><div style="line-height:1.5"><br/></div><div style="line-height:1.5"><strong>RELATED VIDEOS: </strong></div><div style="line-height:1.5"><br/><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0FxI0bWVvkk?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iK2ZnEZRc24?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>#NCAASeason101 || “Off nga ako, zero-of-10, I know that, but this is not the time to lose confidence,” said Escamis, who also tallied five rebounds, four assists, and a steal against the Blazers.</p>

#NCAASeason101 || “Off nga ako, zero-of-10, I know that, but this is not the time to lose confidence,” said Escamis, who also tallied five rebounds, four assists, and a steal against the Blazers.

NCAA: With Mapua’s season on the line, Escamis sets aside personal woes

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

Basketball

NCAA: With Mapua’s season on the line, Escamis sets aside personal woes

Rom Anzures,

ABS-CBN Lifestyle

Published Nov 26, 2025 07:46 PM PHT

Read More:

Basketball

NCAA

ABSSports

NCAA Season 101

NCAA Basketball

Mapua Cardinals

Clint Escamis

Benilde Blazers

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.