Lyceum of the Philippines University gave neighbor Colegio de San Juan de Letran its first taste of defeat, taking a 79-69 stunner, in the Group B action of the 15th FilOil EcoOil Preseason Cup on Tuesday afternoon in San Juan City.
Lyceum improved to 4-1 taking over Letran at second. The Knights fell to 2-1.
Only leading by a point, 70-69, Mclaude Guadaña and John Barba knocked down back-to-back triples to give the Pirates a 76-69 lead right before entering the final two-minute mark.
The Knights still had a chance to come back but King Caralipio missed his shot at the 1:44-mark before turning the ball over during their next possession.
Barba put the nail in the coffin with a booming triple, with just 10 seconds left in the game.
“Sabi ko sa kanila let’s start winning, even though this is a preseason. Para pag dating ng season natin is maging habit ‘ba. So ‘yun naman ‘yung sinasabi ko sa kanila palagi kasi last season lagi kaming talo, pero sabi ko sa kanila this season will be a different season for us,” said Lyceum head coach Gilbert Malabanan.
“And, I’m glad and happy na nag respond naman ‘yung mga players ko, lalo na ‘yung natalo kami sa La Salle no? Medyo na out of aggressiveness kami dun pero sabi ko sa kanila, pano ko naman makikita kung pano sila mag bounce back pag dating sa pagkatalo, and nag respond naman sila well,” he added.
The Battle of Intramuros saw nine lead changes and eight deadlocks the entire game.
Barba had himself a game finishing with a game-high 22 points on 61.5-percent shooting from the field together with seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Enzo Navarro chipped in 13 markers, three rebounds, seven assists, and one steal, while Maverick Venoya also added 13 markers and four boards.
King Caralipio paced Letran with 13 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Brent Paraiso and Kurt Reyson both ended with 10 markers, with the former adding five boards, four dimes, and two steals; while the latter adding four rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
The Pirates will be back on August 15 to face San Beda University at 1:00 PM. The Knights, on the other hand, will face University of Santo Tomas on Thursday at 5:00 PM.
The Scores:
Lyceum 79 — Barba 22, Navarro 13, Venoya 13, Guadana 8, Bravo 6, Umali 6, Larupay 4, Penafiel 4, Cunanan 3, Montano 0, Villegas 0, Aviles 0, Caduyac 0.
Letran 69 –– Caralipio 13, Paraiso 10, Reyson 10, Ariar 9, Bataller 7, Go 6, Guarino 5, Olivario 5, Tolentino 4, Gaviola 0, Oliva 0.
Quarterscores: 20-20, 43-37, 59-62, 79-69.
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The entire 2022 Filoil Ecooil Preseason Cup will stream LIVE on Smart Sports Facebook page
