By: Brenn Allen Flores
John Barba once again crossed the 20-point mark, lifting Lyceum of the Philippines University to a stunning 96-81 victory over Mapua University and racking up their third straight win in the NCAA Season 100 Seniors Basketball Tournament on Tuesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
With the win, the Pirates created a four-way logjam at third with the Cardinals, the San Beda Red Lions, and the Letran Knights.
“Actually, hindi ko talaga tintignan yung mga wins streaks eh. Lagi kaming nagfo-focus sa now, sa kung ano yung ngayon. Basta ang importante lang is we win every game na nilalaro namin,” said Pirates head coach Gilbert Malabanan.
Barba spearheaded a 31-point barrage in the fourth quarter, finishing the game with an impressive 25 points on 66.7 percent shooting. The senior forward also grabbed nine rebounds, contributing significantly to his team’s success.
Lyceum found itself trailing 66-65 heading into the final frame.
However, the Pirates quickly uncorked a decisive 16-7 run, fueled by key shots from Vincent Cunanan and Jonathan Daileg, which allowed them to pull ahead, 81-73.
Although Mapua attempted to rally, Barba and rookie Daileg extended the lead, ultimately securing the win.
“We were very aggressive lang, offensively and defensively. Honestly kaya kami nagka-score nang ganoon because of our stops namin sa defense, and nagkaroon kami ng mga transitions,” said Malabanan.
In the absence of JM Bravo for the season, Daileg stepped up admirably, notching a career-high 14 points on an impressive 80-percent shooting.
Malabanan praised Daileg’s confidence, noting, “Jonathan Daileg is one of my rookies but again talagang yung confidence niya mataas na. Talagang pinupush namin talaga siya eh, kasi one of our pieces siya sa team namin, and we want everybody to do their roles and Daileg embraced that role already.”
In addition to Barba and Daileg, Mclaude Guadana and Cunanan also made significant contributions, scoring 16 and 15 points, respectively.
Looking ahead, Lyceum will seek their fourth straight win against league-leading College of Saint Benilde on Friday, Sept. 27, at 2:30 PM.
Meanwhile, reigning MVP Clint Escamis had an off-night, managing only two of his 13 field goal attempts but completing 9 of 13 from the free-throw line. He finished the game with 13 points, six assists, and four rebounds.
Jeco Bancale led the Cardinals with 14 points, while Chris Hubilla added 13 points to the scoreboard.
Mapua will aim to bounce back against San Sebastian College-Recoletos on the same day at 12:00 PM.
The Scores:
Lyceum 96 – Barba 25, Guadaña 16, Cunanan 15, Daileg 14, Villegas 8, Caduyac 6, Peñafiel 5, Montaño 5, Aviles 2, Panelo 0
Mapua 81 – Bancale 14, Escamis 13, Hubilla 13, Cuenco 11, Mangubat 10, Igliane 6, Concepcion 5, Recto 4, Ryan 3, Jabonete 2, Agemenyi 0
Quarterscores: 22-25; 39-45; 65-66; 96-81
