By: Miguel Caramoan
Gyle Montano’s splendid outing propelled Lyceum of the Philippines University to a much-needed 88-74 victory over San Sebastian College-Recoletos in the NCAA Season 101 Seniors Basketball Tournament on Saturday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre, moving the Pirates up to solo fourth place in Group A.
LPU exacted sweet revenge against the Golden Stags, overturning their heartbreaker, 94-100 double-overtime loss in the first round.
The graduating Montano tallied a season-high 22 points on a scintillating 90% shooting clip from the field. Meanwhile, Renz Villegas added 14 points, six rebounds, and two steals off the bench to lead the Pirates to victory.
“Siguro yung mga losses namin, unti-unti na kami natututo. Kung ano yung mga pagkukulang namin, yung mga kailangan namin iimprove – yun yung binibigyan namin ng focus kasi sa practice,” Pirates head coach Gilbert Malabanan said on the team’s motivation for this win.
The game started with both teams firing on all cylinders offensively. Although San Sebastian’s Jhuniel Dela Rama led all scorers with 17 points, LPU’s balanced attack — highlighted by Montano’s 13 first-half points — helped the Pirates take a 52-47 lead at the break.
LPU then came out strong in the third quarter, building their largest lead at that point at 66-53 on a Michael Versoza basket with 2:24 remaining. The Pirates closed the period with a 71-59 advantage, capped by a three-pointer from Omar Gordon.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Golden Stags mounted a brief 6-0 run, cutting the deficit to 71-65. LPU quickly responded with an 11-0 surge, fueled by baskets from Montano and Villegas, stretching their lead to a game-high 82-65 with 4:57 remaining.
With this victory, the Pirates keep their hopes of avoiding the play-in alive, improving to 3-8 and climbing to solo fourth in Group A.
“Ito nga, yung liga malapit na matapos eh. So sabi ko nga ang mindset natin every game natin panalunin natin. Kasi lalo na pag dumaan tayo ng play-in, yun yung importante and bago kayo dumating don yung confidence ng players ko tumataas,” Malabanan said regarding the looming play-in scenario.
LPU will face the Arellano Chiefs on Wednesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
For the Golden Stags, the defeat marked their second consecutive loss, leaving them at the bottom of Group A with a 3-9 record.
Dela Rama finished with 19 points but struggled in the second half, making just 1-of-6 shots in the final two quarters. Meanwhile, San Sebastian’s bench contributed only 12 points compared to LPU’s 36.
“Alam naman natin yung mabibigay nung Dela Rama eh, so pag nasa kanya yung bola, talagang sabi ko na higpitan yung defense sa kanya,” Malabanan said on how they contained Dela Rama in the second half.
“Pinakita ko rin sa kanila yung 17 points nung Dela Rama, kasi nga hindi kami ganon ka-aggressive nung first half eh. Pero pagdating nung second half, pine-pressure na namin siya.”
San Sebastian’s final elimination game will be against the streaking Mapua Cardinals on Tuesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
The Scores:
Lyceum 88 – Montano 22, Villegas 14, Penafiel 9, Aviles 8, Versoza 8, Moralejo 7, Barba 6, Daileg 5, Casino 5, Gordon 3, Pallingayan 1, Matienzo 0
San Sebastian 74 – Dela Rama 19, Gabat 13, Cuajao 11, Ricio 10, Castor 9, Segovia 6, Dimaunahan 4, Lumanag 2, Cabilla 0, Gomez de Liano 0
Quarterscores: 28-29, 52-47, 71-59, 88-74
