MANILA – Lyceum of the Philippines University Pirates held off Arellano University Chiefs, 82-80, in the NCAA Season 98 men’s seniors basketball on Tuesday night at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
After leading by as much as double-digits after three quarters, the Pirates were stunned by a huge uprising by the Chiefs, which came to as close as 78-81 with under a minute left.
Arellano, which pulled off some upset wins this season, had a chance to tie the score but the three-point attempt of veteran Darrell Shane Menina rimmed out in the final 11 seconds.
Renzo Navarro widened the Pirates advantage to 82-78 with 4.4 seconds left in the clock after he split his two free throws before the Chiefs cut the deficit for the final score with a late conversion.
The Pirates, the runners-up in 2017 and 2018 NCAA Season, finished its first round stint with a 7-2 record, trailing league-leading College of Saint Benilde Blazers (7-1) by half-a-game.
“For us, it’s a good thing na nagkaroon kami ng ganitong mga laro na dikitan, kasi lalo na ngayong magse-second round. And we will gonna expect na lahat ng teams talaga gustong umakyat eh,” said Pirates head coach Gilbert Malabanan.
“Mas mae-experience pa namin mas maraming close matches kaya good thing talaga nae-experience kami ganito mga dikitan, para yung composure ng mga players namin, nandoon pa rin,” he added.
Patrick Montaño led the way with 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks for the Pirates, which scored its second straight win following its 82-79 escape over San Sebastian College Stags last Sunday.
John Barba chipped in 15 points and four boards, while Mac Guadaña added 14 points, four rebounds and two assists, while Enoch Valdez finished with nine markers for the Pirates.
Axel Doromal had 21 points, while Menina contributed 14 points and three assists for the Chiefs, which will enter the second round with a 4-5 win-loss record for fifth place in the standings.
BOX SCORE
LYCEUM 82 — Montaño 16, Barba 15, Guadaña 14, Valdez 9, Umali 7, Bravo 7, Larupay 6, Peñafiel 4, Cunanan 3, Navarro 1, Villegas 0.
ARELLANO 80 — Doromal 21, Menina 14, Abastillas 12, Flores 11, Oftana 8, Mantua 8, Tolentino 4, Mallari 2, Oliva 0, Antonio 0.
Quarterscores: 22-19, 44-42, 70-58, 82-80./PN
