Titing Manalili’s late-game injury cast a cloud over Colegio de San Juan de Letran’s 96-86 victory over Lyceum of the Philippines University in the NCAA Season 102 Seniors Basketball Tournament on Thursday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Manalili exited with 1:55 remaining after taking a hard fall while attempting an and-one play, leaving the Knights hoping that the injury is not serious as they bounced back from their overtime loss to San Beda University.
Letran improved to 4-2 with the victory, tying Arellano University for the top spot in Group B while snapping its two-game losing streak.
“It was really important for our team morale. We didn’t wanna dwell too much on the losses, but we couldn’t just ignore the fact that we did lose back-to-back,” said Denzil Walker.
After a back-and-forth first half, the Knights broke away in the final two minutes of the second quarter, closing the frame with a 10-0 run to take a 53-43 halftime lead.
Manalili, Jimboy Estrada, and Walker then spearheaded Letran’s third-quarter surge, helping the Knights build a 21-point cushion heading into the final canto.
Lyceum refused to go down without a fight, opening the fourth quarter with a 12-3 run and eventually cutting the deficit to nine with 31 seconds left.
Chad Gammad, however, put the game away at the free-throw line, as the Pirates’ comeback bid came too little, too late.
Estrada led all scorers with 25 points on a highly efficient 71.4-percent shooting, while Manalili finished with a double-double of 23 points and 12 assists before his late exit.
Walker added 15 points, while Gammad chipped in 12 for Letran.
Matthew Rubico paced Lyceum with 21 points and six assists, while Roger Ondoa contributed 17 points and six rebounds.
The Pirates suffered their fourth straight loss, dropping to 1-5 in Group A.
Letran will look to extend its winning streak against Mapúa University on Monday, Oct. 12, while Lyceum faces the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA on Tuesday, Oct. 13. Both games are set for 3:00 p.m. at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
The Scores:
Letran 96 — Estrada 25, Manalili 23, Walker 15, Gammad 12, Montecillo 6, Cargo 6, Santos 3, Buensalida 3, Hugo 2, Muyuela 1, Reyes 0, Villanueva 0.
Lyceum 86 — Rubico 21, Ondoa 17, Guadana 9, Penafiel 8, Villegas 7, Aurigue 6, Daileg 6, Almario 4, Matienzo 4, Nocum 2, Manuel 2, Fuentes 0, Pallingayan 0, Aviles 0.
Quarterscores: 22-20, 53-43, 76-55, 96-86.
