After their close win over the Arellano Chiefs last Tuesday, the Lyceum of the Philippines University Pirates showed no mercy this time around, whitewashing the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA Altas, 89-74, Thursday afternoon at the Filoil Flying V Centre.
“We reminded them about being fearless. We always felt that after those two losses in the first round that we were not confident,” admitted Lyceum head coach Topex Robinson. “We reminded them that they need to be fearless and that when they make a decision, as long as they have courage, it will be okay with me.”
And that they did.
During the third canto, Lyceum locked down Perpetual, limiting them to just 14 points. Their defense led to a 9-0 finish to cap a 26-point quarter to gain a 66-53 lead.
Then it was showtime in the final frame as the Pirates unleashed a dazzling array of highlights. An alley-oop from Reymar Caduyac to Jaycee Marcelino followed by a thunderous jam by Mike Nzeusseu helped give Lyceum a game-high 20-point lead, 85-65, with 4:03 left.
“We lost that fire during the last three games and we want to bring it back. Kasama na dun yung mistakes, like today twenty-two turnovers. But we always have to look at the brighter side. We are going to play CSB and Letran next,” shared Robinson.
Jaycee Marcelino and Nzeusseu led Lyceum with 21 points each. The former also grabbed eight boards while the latter had five.
Reymar Caduyac glued things together with 11 points, nine assists, and six rebounds.
“Reymar is the barometer of our team. When we lost him, we struggled. He is the one controlling the twins,” Robinson remarked about his floor general.
The win gave Lyceum a short hold of the second spot in the NCAA Season 95 Seniors Basketball Tournament, rising to 8-3. Perpetual, on the other hand, dropped to a tie for seventh with JRU as both own 3-7 slates.
Perpetual was led by Tonton Peralta’s 20 points. Ben Adamos added 15 markers while Jielo Razon scattered 12 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and a steal.
Lyceum limited Perpetual to just 37-percent from the field while out-rebounding them, 49-34.
Lyceum will next face the CSB Blazers on Friday, September 20 at 2:00 pm. Perpetual, on the other hand, looks to avoid three-straight losses when it takes on the San Sebastian Stags on Tuesday.
The Scores:
LPU 89 – Marcelino JC 21, Nzeusseu 21, Caduyac 11, Marcelino JV 10, David 5, Guinto 4, Ibanez 3, Navarro 3, Tansingco 3, Pretta 2, Remulla 2, Santos 2, Valdez 2, Laurente 0, Yong 0
UPHSD 74 – Peralta 20, Adamos 15, Razon 12, Aurin 9, Charcos 4, Martel 4, Sevilla 4, Barasi 2, Cuevas 2, Tamayo 2, Lanoy 0
Quarterscores: 22-22, 40-39, 66-53, 80-74
