College of Saint Benilde head coach Charles Tiu tips his hat to Mapua University team captain Clint Escamis after their Game 1 encounter in the finals of Season 100 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball tournament yesterday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Tiu said after their sorry 73-84 Game 1 loss that the reigning Most Valuable Player gave them a hard time and admitted he’s the best player in the league right now.

Escamis scored 22 of his 30 points in the first half as Mapua now holds a 1-0 lead in their best-of-three championship series.

“I just thought, man, he made a lot of tough shots in the first half because he killed us all defensively. He’s a great player,” Tiu said.

“We just have to make him work to earn his points. But, I mean, he’s better than everyone right now so, I hope some of our players will step up their task and find a way to push them.”

On the verge of missing out on another NCAA crown, the Blazers will have to be at their best once Game 2 rolls around on Saturday at the Big Dome.

Tiu remains optimistic as he believes his wards will be able to force a winner-take-all Game 3 on 14 December.

From there, anything can happen as they aim to finally end a 24-year-wait for an NCAA title.

“Well, that’s a good thing for us. It’s a series. It’s not done in one game,” Tiu said.

“Hopefully, by the second game, we’ll be a bit more focused and go back to playing our game and hopefully, we won’t have any losses. That’s the only thing we can do right now.”