The match-up between the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA Altas and the Lyceum of the Philippines University Pirates last Friday featured a marquee match-up between two of the NCAA’s premier big men: Nigerian Bright Akhuetie and Cameroonian Mike Nzeusseu.
During Lyceum’s three-game winning streak, Nzeusseu posted a statline of 20-20 during the stretch en route to averages of 18.7 points and 17.6 rebounds. However, Perpetual’s 19 year old big man showed why he is one of the best centers in collegiate basketball Friday afternoon.
Down by as much as 10 points in the second quarter, the Altas leaned on Akhuetie in the final quarter, scoring 10 of his team’s 17 fourth quarter points to give Perpetual a 71-68 win. Moreover, the Perpetual center limited the 21 year old Nzeusseu to just three points in the payoff period.
After the game, Nzeusseu was amazed at how strong Akhuetie and Prince Eze were. “They’re strong, both of them. It was a good match-up,” he said. “Hopefully, I can gain more experience from it.”
Even if Akhuetie was two years his younger, the Cameroonian student-athlete shared that he learned a lot from Akhuetie during the game. “[I learned] how to play until the end of the game and never give up,” he said.
“Coach always reminds us to never give up until the final buzzer. In this game, they played until the final buzzer.”
Looking forward, the big man is hoping that his team learns from this loss and for Lyceum to end the first round strong. “Hopefully, we get the wins,” he closed.
“Just like what coach always tells us, we only have control of what we have. We just have to prepare and be ready for the games.”
