Coming off a shock loss to EAC seven days ago, the Lyceum of the Philippines University Pirates bounced back at the expense of the Mapua University Cardinals, 79-71, Friday afternoon at the Filoil Flying V Centre.
“We’re happy that we got back. We grinded it out with Mapua and we’re just happy,” said Lyceum head coach Topex Robinson. “It’s kinda ugly the way we played but were always going to take the good with the bad.”
Leading Lyceum was usual suspect Jaycee Marcelino, who tallied 14 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks.
Jaycee, together with Reymar Caduyac, was instrumental in breaking the wills of the young Cardinals as they went on an 8-1 run to turn a four-point lead into an 11-point cushion with 2:57 left.
Caduyac added 12 points, seven assists, and five boards to help raise Lyceum’s slate to 2-1.
“Personally, I apologized to the team,” shared Robinson regarding their 84-82 loss to the Generals. “So focused that I forgot what worked for us. The moment we stop enjoying will be our downfall. It was a learning experience for me and I’m just happy that we got back.”
Ralph Tancingco added 14 points while Jayson David continued to play big as Mike Nzeusseu is still out with a finger injury, finishing with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Mapua, who lost their third straight game, was led by Paolo Hernandez’s 19 points. Fellow rookie Cyril Gonzales added 16 points.
Lyceum will next face the San Sebastian Golden Stags on Tuesday, July 23 at 2:00 pm. Mapua, on the other hand, hosts the CSB Blazers on Thursday, July 25 in Intramuros.
The Scores:
LPU 79 – Marcelino JC 14, Tansingco 14, Caduyac 12, Santos 11, David 10, Marcelino JV 5, Navarro 5, Valdez 4, Ibanez 2, Yong 2, Pretta 0
MU 71 – Hernandez 19, Gonzales 16, Bunag 7, Bonifacio 6, Serrano 6, Lugo 5, Nocum 5, Victoria 3, Aguirre 3, Gamboa 1, Salenga 0, Garcia 0, Nieles 0, Jabel 0
Quarterscores: 29-21, 47-40, 61-57, 79-71
