Coming off their first loss of the season, the Lyceum of Philippines University Philippines dropped the hammer on the Arellano University Chiefs with a dominant 113-79 victory, Thursday afternoon at the Filoil Flying V Centre.
“Again, it’s a big opportunity for us to really get better and try be better version of ourselves. We have to keep on pursuing what we’re pursuing,” said fourth-year Pirates head coach Topex Robinson.
The Pirates set a lot of season-highs in this contest. They scored the most points with 113, knocked down the most three-pointers 14, dished out the most assists 27, scored the most on the break with 34 points, and tallied the most bench points with 81.
“Very happy na natuto kami last game kasi yun nga,” said reigning Most Valuable Player CJ Perez.
“Masaya kami na naipanalo namin. Bounce back. Nagising kami sa pagkatalo namin,” added Jaycee Marcelino.
With his twin brother out, Jaycee Marcelino played inspired basketball, finishing with 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting with three rebounds, three assists, and four steals.
The Pirates went on an 11-2 start and never looked back. Lyceum would lead by as much as 39 points, 113-74, with a minute remaining in the game.
The Pirates also had six players score in double-digits with MJ Ayaay and Spencer Pretta scoring 16 and 15 points each. Reymar Caduyac had 13 markers while Jeff Santos chipped in 11 points.
Steering the wheel was Perez, who tallied 10 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists.
With the win, Lyceum clinched a playoff spot with a 13-1 slate.
Arellano lost its fourth straight game, falling to 4-9.
The troika of Archie Concepcion, Michael Canete, and Ian Alban were the sole bright spots for Arellano. Concepcion had 16 points and eight rebounds while Canete tallied 13 points and 14 rebounds. Alban added 12 points from off the bench.
Lyceum will next face neighbors Mapua Cardinals on Tuesday, October 2 at 4:00pm. Arellano, on the other hand, looks to end its skid on the same day when it takes on the EAC Generals.
The Scores:
LPU 113 — Jc. Marcelino 21, Ayaay 16, Pretta 15, Caduyac 13, Santos 11, Perez 10, Nzeusseu 7, Lumbao 6, Yong 5, Valdez 3, Tansingco 2, Cinco 2, Serrano 2, Ibanez 0.
AU 79 — Concepcion 16, Canete 13, Alban 12, Dela Cruz 8, Sera Josef 8, Alcoriza 6, Viloria 4, Segura 3, Codinera 3, Ongolo Ongolo 2, Sacramento 2, Bayle 2.
Quarterscores: 25-15, 54-38, 76-55, 113-79.
