With its first win of the NCAA Season 99 Seniors Basketball Tournament in the palm of their hands, Arellano University let the game slip through its fingers as the still-undefeated Lyceum of the Philippines University came back from a double-digit deficit to win 89-77 after an overtime nail-biter on Friday at the Filoil Ecooil Centre.
Lyceum extended its winning streak to five at the beginning of Season 99. It had previously defeated other contenders like College of Saint Benilde, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, and San Sebastian College-Recoletos.
The Chiefs looked like they could do no wrong in the first half, outscoring the league-leading Pirates 48-29 in the first two quarters, and even going up by as much as 24, 55-31 in the third quarter after a three-pointer from Mallari with 7:02 on the clock to crush Lyceum’s spirits.
To make matters worse for the Pirates, the reigning Player of the Week Shawn Umali fouled out in the third quarter with 5:41 left after being whistled for a technical foul.
Without their trusty big man in the game, the match looked over with 3:30 left in the fourth frame, as the Pirates found themselves facing a 15-point deficit, 55-70. It was in these three-and-a-half minutes that the Pirates came alive, as they launched a 20-5 run to force overtime.
Guadana, who had been uncharacteristically quiet for the Pirates in the midst of their four-game win streak, scored the final five points of the quarter for Lyceum, including a steal into a three-pointer that tied the game at 75-75.
In overtime, the Chiefs looked defeated as Lyceum would outscore them 14-2 in the extra time for the 89-77 victory.
finally caught fire with 20 points of his own, 10 of which came in the fourth quarter and overtime alone.
“I think it boils down doon sa character ng team namin. We didn’t give up until the final buzzer, and that’s the good thing naman. Nakita mo naman, kapag ganoon yung lamang, yung mga players ko they didn’t give up. Even though Umali is gone, nagstep-up sila,” said Pirates coach Gilbert Malabanan.
Enoch Valdez kept the Pirates’ ship from sinking with 26 points, 14 rebounds, four steals, and a block.
John Bravo had a near double-double of 14 points and nine boards, while their feisty guard Vince Cunanan had 10 points, seven assists, and five steals.
The Pirates went up 5-0, firmly in control of the top spot in the standings. They are scheduled for a duel against San Beda University on Sunday at 2:40 p.m. at the Filoil Ecooil Centre, where they look to recover from their first loss.
Lorenzo Capulong showed the way for Arellano with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Danielle Mallari had 11 points, while Dominic Dayrit contributed 10 points of his own.
The Chiefs’ nightmarish start to season 99 continued. They look to finally get on the board in their clash with the similarly struggling Letran on Sunday at 12:20 p.m., also at the Filoil Ecooil Centre.
The Scores:
LPU 89 – Valdez 26, Guadaña 20, Bravo 14, Cunanan 10, Omandac 8, Penafiel 5, Villegas 3, Umali 2, Montano 1, Barba 0, Versoza 0, Aviles 0
AU 77 – Capulong 10, Mallari 11, Dayrit 10, Sunga 9, Talampas 8, Ongotan 7, Valencia 7, Yanes 6, Villarente 4, Geronimo 2, Abastillas 0, Antonio 0
Quarterscores: 15-21, 29-48, 49-57, 75-75, 89-77
