Jearlan Omandac and Enoch Valdez stepped up on both ends of the court in crunch time to help Lyceum of the Philippines secure a top-two spot in the standings, maintaining the Pirates’ position ahead of College of Saint Benilde after an 84-81 victory over the Blazers in the NCAA Season 99 Seniors Basketball Tournament on Friday at the Filoil Ecooil Centre.
Omandac’s back-to-back triples on the offensive end, combined with Valdez’s defensive effort that forced three turnovers in the dying minutes from Benilde, allowed the Pirates to seal the victory at the final buzzer.
For head coach Gilbert Malabanan, he expressed his gratitude to Omandac for rewarding his coach’s faith in giving him the ball down the stretch.
“Actually, iba ‘yung nararamdaman ko pag may ginagamit akong players eh. Pag nagsisimula kami ng first five namin, iba ‘yung mga nararamdaman mo na ang gaan ng loob mo dito, may instinct eh. Buti na lang ‘yung instinct ko kay Omandac, sabi ko, hindi naman nashoshoot mga tira nito sa labas, pero pagdating ng fourth quarter, laging ready siya,” explained Malabanan.
Omandac was 0-of-4 from three before those two crucial triples, showcasing the trust Malabanan had in his reliable backup big man.
“Bali, nagtiwala din ako sa sarili ko. Kahit ilang mintis na sa first half, sabi ko sa sarili ko, papasok din ito,” said Omandac.
The match came down to the wire in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, with the Pirates finding themselves down one, 75-76, after a pair of free throws from Will Gozum. With the Blazers slightly controlling the match, Valdez forced back-to-back turnovers on Miguel Oczon, allowing a fastbreak layup for John Bravo, giving them the lead 77-76.
After Will Gozum overshot a layup under the Blazers’ court, Omandac stepped up on the other end to knock down his first triple, pumping the lead up to 80-76 and prompting a timeout from Benilde.
Following a corner triple from Oczon that cut the lead back to one, Malabanan drew up another triple for Omandac to regain the advantage. Down the other end, Valdez forced a third turnover from the Blazers and sank 1/2 free throws to go up by five, 84-79, their largest lead in the game.
With a chance to seal the win with nine seconds left on the clock and leading 84-81, Omandac went 0-of-2 from the line, leaving the door open for Benilde. However, Prince Carlos’ three-point attempt went in-and-out of the rim, allowing Lyceum to come away with the nail-biting victory.
After the win, Malabanan praised his squad for edging out another potential Final Four contender in crunch time.
Valdez was the Pirates’ leading scorer with 15 points, six rebounds, and three steals. Bravo followed closely with 14, while John Barba added 13. Omandac finished with nine points after his much-needed fourth-quarter output.
The Pirates improved to 11-3 for the season, once again tying with Mapua University for the top two spots. They will face the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA on Sunday at 12:00 p.m.
Oczon led all scorers with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Prince Carlos added 16 points and five rebounds. After exploding against Jose Rizal University, Will Gozum scored only 13 points on 33-percent shooting against the Pirates. Miguel Corteza contributed 11 points and six rebounds.
The Blazers went down to a 9-5 record on the season as their five-game win streak came to an end. They will go up against San Sebastian College-Recoletos on Sunday at 10:00 a.m.
The Scores:
LPU 84 – Valdez 15, Bravo 14, Barba 13, Umali 9, Omandac 9, Guadana 7, Penafiel 6, Cunanan 5, Versoza 2, Villegas 2, Montano 2, Fuentes 0
CSB 81 – Oczon 19, Carlos 16, Gozum 13, Corteza 11, Nayve 7, Morales 7, Marcos 5, Arciaga 3, Turco 0, Mara 0, Marasigan 0, Cajucom 0, Jarque 0
Quarterscores: 18-20, 43-45, 59-64, 84-81
