The Lyceum Pirates snapped their four-game losing streak in the NCAA Season 102 Men’s Basketball Tournament, eking out a 98-89 victory over the Perpetual Help Altas on Tuesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
The win lifts the Pirates to 2-5 in Group A, where they remain fifth. Perpetual, on the other hand, suffered its fourth consecutive loss and fell to 2-5 in Group B, where it is tied with Emilio Aguinaldo College for third place.
“Yung game, dikitan lang. Nung fourth quarter, lagi ko sila hina-huddle to say na stick to the system and trust the coaches at kaya natin ‘to,” said Matthew Rubico, who finished with 21 points on seven-of-11 shooting, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.
The former Green Archer was quick to share the credit. “Nakuha namin ‘yung game na ‘to hindi dahil sa ‘kin. It’s a collective effort. Nag-step up yung mga need mag-step up. ‘Yung mga veterans din namin nagstep-up din. ‘Yun ‘yung tinrabaho namin,” he said.
Veterans Step Up in the Fourth for Lyceum
With the game tied at 75-all midway through the fourth quarter, Lyceum’s veterans helped the Pirates pull away from the Altas. Renz Villegas split the defense with crucial free throws before Mclaude Guadana scored five straight points to give Lyceum an 84-75 cushion.
LA Casinillo and JM Tulabut tried to stop Perpetual’s bleeding, but Rubico’s three-pointer with 2:37 remaining proved to be the dagger. Jonathan Daileg then put the finishing touches on the victory.
Villegas and Daileg contributed 19 and 18 points, respectively, while also grabbing seven rebounds each. Guadana added 14 points, and Roger Ondoa chipped in 11 for the Pirates.
Ray Allen Maglupay led Perpetual with 19 points, while Gelo Gelsano and Casinillo added 18 and 17 points, respectively. Mark Gojo Cruz chipped in 13 points and six assists in the losing effort.
Next Up for the NCAA
Both Lyceum and Perpetual will return to action on Friday, October 16, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan. Perpetual will face the Mapua Cardinals, while Lyceum will take on the San Sebastian in the following game.
