SAN FRANCISCO — The true sign of a mature team is the ability to thrive outside of one’s comfort zone, and the Lincoln Mustangs did so on Wednesday evening.
Having made the short trip to Lowell, the Mustangs were faced with a team that wanted to take the air out of the ball and create a low-possession game, a stark contrast to Lincoln’s up-tempo ways, but the Mustangs managed to escape with a 50-42 win, leaving them as the only unbeaten team in the AAA.
The Cardinals trailed just 36-35 early in the fourth after Troy Smith’s floater and Noa Abuan Andaya’s deep three, but squandered a chance to take the lead after a Mustang turnover. Jeremyah Aquino fired off one of his six assists in response, setting up a Daniel Toy 3-pointer to put Lincoln (13-3, 4-0 AAA) back in control. Toy, who scored eight off the bench, connected again in response to a Teddy McCarty layup to put the Mustangs up 42-37.
Lowell (16-5, 6-1) trailed 46-42 after Eustache Westphal made one of two free throws with 2:24 left, but never scored again. The Cardinals missed their final five shots, and Jordan Aquino’s stretch pass to Justin Aquino for a layup made it a six-point game with 1:27 remaining, and Jordan made a pair of free throws with 19.2 left for the final margin after a pair of Lowell 3-pointers missed.
The three Aquino brothers combined for 35 points, with Jeremyah scoring 16 and Jordan, the senior, adding 15, fueled by a perfect 6-of-6 showing at the line. Justin didn’t score until the fourth, but his four points off stretch passes from Jordan proved vital. The first put Lincoln up 44-37, and the second made it 48-42.
Even without starting forward Alexander Hedger, who missed the game with a non-COVID illness, Lowell hung tough the entire way. The hosts took a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter by way of a Smith 3-pointer, but the Mustangs went on a 15-2 run to take their only double-digit lead of the night, going up 22-12 when Jeremyah found Toy on an inbound play late in the second quarter. The Cardinals went into halftime down 22-15 after a Van Luu putback, and though Tyreque Elleston’s and-1 gave Lincoln a 29-22 advantage with 5:27 left in the third, Lowell cut it to one with two free throws by Smith, one by Westphal and McCarty’s three-point play on a putback.
The Cardinals even had the chance to take the lead after a turnover, but Timothy Wong delivered a key block and Jordan Aquino made a pair of free throws shortly after. Lincoln went up 34-28 on Jeremyah’s stepback 3-pointer and took a 36-30 lead into the final quarter after his assist to Elleston.
McCarty led the home side with 10 points, six rebounds and four assists. Smith and Westphal each scored nine, with Westphal gathering six rebounds.
Lowell hosts Balboa (6-14) at 6 p.m. on Thursday for Senior Night. In response to cancellations and postponements spurred by the recent omicron surge, the AAA reduced its league schedule to a single round-robin, and since the Cardinals and Buccaneers completed their first game as scheduled, a 53-52 Lowell win on Jan. 13, Thursday will count as a non-league contest. Lincoln hosts Galileo (9-12, 4-2) in a game that will count towards the league standings at 4:30 on Friday afternoon.
