To set the record straight, Clint Escamis said anyone can make the big shot for Mapua University on any given day.
But today, that man turned out to be him as the Cardinals escaped no less than league-leading and streaking De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde courtesy of his long buzzer-beater triple over Tony Ynot.
It was a shot Escamis deemed as the biggest one in his young career, noting he had made clutch baskets before but never a massive trey as the one he made on Sunday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
"Oo ‘yun talaga ‘yung biggest shot ko [sa career ko] kasi I made clutch shots the past season but never a game-winner and never a game-winner in like Steph Curry range," Escamis said.
"Biggest shot of my career so far."
That booming triple put the icing on the cake on Mapua's come-from-behind effort.
The Cardinals once saw themselves drowning in a 20-point deficit after the Blazers went on a bizarre first half, nailing seven of their 15 triples to build a 54-39 halftime cushion.
But character prevailed in the endgame as Escamis fueled their third quarter rally before his final three-pointer sealed it for the Cardinals.
"Nag-stay ‘yung character namin and feel ko naman, ‘yun na ‘yung test namin kasi wala pa kaming game na gano’n before na down big kami na nakabalik kami against number team, that speaks volume for what we can accomplish," the reigning Rookie MVP said.
Escamis shared he trusts anyone from his team could have made that shot, but it just happened that the turnover from Allen Liwag sent the leather to his hands, prompting him to just throw the Hail Mary with less than five seconds left.
"Make it or miss it, alam ko naman na sobra ‘yung tiwala sa akin nila coach Randy and mga teammates ko and hindi lang naman sa akin," he added.
"I’ll trust din naman the game-winning shot kahit sino sa team, kahit sino sa team ibigay ‘yung shot magtitiwala ako and ipapasa ko ‘yung shot para sa kanila."
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
