The Mapua Cardinals were on the verge of falling to 0‑4 in the NCAA Season 102 Men’s Basketball Tournament. But thanks to the clutch three‑point shooting of Jamal Diaz, the Cardinals rallied and pulled off an upset win against the San Beda Red Lions.
Jamal Diaz Credits His Extra Work for Hot Shooting
Trailing by five points with 52.6 seconds left, Jamal Diaz buried a triple to cut the gap to 54‑52. He wasn’t done. With 12.4 seconds remaining, he calmly drained another shot from downtown to put Mapua ahead for good, 55‑54.
In the post‑game press conference, the rookie credited his extra work for the clutch shooting he displayed.
“Ang nasa isip ko lang naman po kaya tinitira ko lang din ‘yun kasei iyempre pinaghihirapan ko naman din po ‘yun, ine‑extra ko naman din po ‘yun gabi‑gabi,” he said.
Diaz finished with 8 points, 6 of which came in the final minute alone, to go with 5 rebounds in just 12 minutes of action.
“So, siyempre dun po naggagaling ‘yung kumpyansa ko, ‘yung kapal ng mukha ko na itira ‘yun kasi pinaghihirapan ko naman po ‘yun, bakit hindi ko po ititira so ‘yun lang po,” he added.
Mapua Survives
In the first half, Mapua built a 12‑point lead, only to see it disappear in the third quarter. Then, in the final frame, the Cardinals found themselves playing catch‑up all throughout—or at least until Jamal Diaz took over.
In the end, the former UE Junior Red Warrior mentioned that the team had no other choice but to bounce back and win after suffering three straight losses to begin the season.
“Sobrang sakit po nung mga pagkatalo namin pero again, hindi naman kami pwedeng lumubog na lang dun sa pagkatalo, kailangan namin umangat pa rin, ginawa lang din namin ang best namin,” said Diaz.
Looking Ahead
Now finally in the win column, Jamal Diaz and the rest of the Cardinals will look to carry this winning momentum when they face the unbeaten Arellano Chiefs on October 1.
