Too much offense, too much defense
After four games, the Lyceum of the Philippines University Pirates continued to be unsolvable in the 93rd season of the NCAA, romping the Arellano University Chiefs by 34 points, 99-65, Tuesday afternoon at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
Lyceum kept their unblemished slate intact while dropping Arellano to an even 2-2 slate.
“Medyo sinuwerte. We just caught them in a bad afternoon, so we just took advantage. They were up to the challenge,” said third-year Lyceum head coach Topex Robinson.
And the Pirates were better than the Chiefs across the board, shooting better (44.87 percent compared to 36.62), forcing more turnovers (27 turnovers for Arellano that led to 26 Lyceum points), and crashing the boards (51 to 32).
Once again, CJ Perez led the lambasting, scoring 14 of his 16 points in the second half.
“CJ might be the face of his team but he will never be better than his teammates,” Robinson remarked about his prized recruit.
The Marcelino twins also made their presence felt with Jaycee finishing with 13 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals while Jayvee added eights points, five rebounds, and two assists. The Subic-based twins also took turns in stifling Kent Salado, who shot just 5-for-15 from the field for 11 points and four turnovers.
“We just challenged these guys, and made sure they’re grounded, they know their purpose. Hopefully, we can keep on inspiring others,” added Robinson.
MJ Ayaay added 13 points and nine rebounds, while Ralph Tansingco had 13 as well in just 11 minutes of action.
With the game out of reach by the third frame, the Pirates continued to step on the pedal in the final frame, leading by as much 35 points, 99-64, with 25.7 ticks remaining. Nine Lyceum student-athletes scored in the final 10 minutes of the game.
Zach Nicholls led the Chiefs with 12 markers.
The only other time Lyceum notched a four-game winning streak was when coach Bonnie Tan was still handling the team back in 2013.
Lyceum will next face the 1-3 Mapua Cardinals on Friday, July 28, at 2:00pm. Arellano, on the other hand, hope to bounce back on the same day against the Saint Benilde Blazers at 4:00pm.
The Scores:
LPU 99 – Perez 16, Marcelino JC 13, Ayaay 13, Tansingco 13, Nzeusseu 8, Ibanez 8, Marcelino JV 8, Caduyac 6, Serrano 5, Pretta 3, Marata 2, Baltazar 2, Liwag 2, Santos 0.
AU 65 – Nicholls 12, Salado 11, Concepcion 9, Canete 7, Meca 6, Alcoriza 5, Dela Cruz 4, Enriquez 4, Flores 3, Ongolo Ongolo 2, Rivera 2, Abanes 0, Taywan 0, Villoria 0, Padilla 0.
Quarterscores: 20-11, 40-30, 63-49, 99-65.
