The Lyceum of the Philippines University Pirates grabbed their first win of the season at the expense of the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers, 69-66, in the first elimination round of the NCAA Season 92, Friday afternoon at the Filoil Flying V Centre.
“It’s just a testament that if we play together amidst all the adversities that come our way, we’re gonna go places,” said Lyceum head coach Topex Robinson.
Rookie Harry Nzeusseu carried the Pirates with 24 points and 21 rebounds, while transferee Adrian Alban also took over at the clutch, scoring six of LPU’s last 11. The former Fatima standout scored 19 markers, and grabbed three rebounds and two assists.
The win put Lyceum in a three-way tie in the standings with the EAC Generals and JRU, all at 1-3.
“Nothing to celebrate. A win is a win, but we still have 14 games to go, so we’re gonna go back to work,” said Robinson.
After a low-scoring first quarter for the Pirates, who failed to reach double-digits in 10 minutes at 9-16, LPU’s Shaquille Alanes, Mark Malabanan, and Mike Nzeusseu attacked from close range to claw their way back to two points down going into the halftime break, 27-29.
Lyceum again came up short of taking the lead in the whole third quarter, 45-47, capped by two free throws by Aldrin Serafico.
It was in the final quarter that the Pirates finally got their first crack at the lead, 50-47, via a lay-in by Cameroonian Nzeusseu. They added to the gap after an individual 6-0 run by Alban with a 1:13 left in the game, 66-60.
JRU, not new to being down at crunch time, were kept in the game by Teytey Teodoro and captain Jordan Dela Paz’s three-pointers, but were still down 66-69 because of three free throws by Edcor Marata and Nzeusseu with 9 seconds left in the game.
Dela Paz held the ball in the last play and drove straight to the basket with time running out, where he was met by Nzeusseu, who blocked his final layup attempt to seal the game.
Ervin Grospe led the Heavy Bombers with 16 points, four rebounds, and an assist; Teodoro had three rebounds, an assist and a steal to go with his 14 points.
The Pirates out-rebounded their opponents by a huge margin, 60 to 32, translating to a 27-to-13 edge in offensive rebounding. In addition, Lyceum dominated the point as 42 of their 69 points came from the inside.
The Pirates (1-3) will next face the CSB Blazers (0-4), while the Heavy Bombers (1-3) will go up against the EAC Generals (1-3) on Thursday, still at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
“We dug deep into our souls. Hopefully, this will be the start of our winning ways,” the Pirates’ head coach concluded.
The Scores:
LPU (69) – Nzeusseu 24, Alban 19, Marata 8, Alanes 4, Ayaay 4, Malabanan 4, Serafico 4, Caduyac 2, Baltazar 0, Soliman 0, Magbuhos 0.
JRU (66) – Grospe 16, Teodoro 14, Poutouochi 10, Lasquety 10, Dela Paz 6, Abdulrazak 5, Pontejos 3, Salaveria 2, Astilla 0, Dela Virgen 0, Evardo 0.
Quarterscores: 9-16, 27-29, 45-47, 69-66
