MANILA — Lyceum of the Philippines University punched its ticket to the NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball quarterfinals after outlasting San Sebastian College-Recoletos, 70–63, in a tense play-in duel Tuesday at the Playtime Filoil Centre in San Juan — a victory that also officially knocked the Golden Stags out of postseason contention.
John Barba delivered a standout performance with 22 points, three assists, and three rebounds to earn Player of the Game honors as the Pirates rode a composed finishing kick to secure the must-win match.
Jonathan Daileg backed him up with 14 points and seven rebounds, while Michael Verzosa and Renz Villegas chipped in 14 and 10 markers, respectively.
With the game hanging in the balance in the final minutes, Lyceum capitalized on a string of costly San Sebastian errors. Villegas converted off a key steal to preserve momentum before Joshua Moralejo drilled a clutch three-pointer that stretched the lead to 66–60 entering the final minute.
“Sabi ko sa players ko na we dedicate this game doon sa mga graduating players natin. Sabi ko, ‘Kung gusto ninyong mag-practice bukas, eh, laruin na natin, ‘di ba?’” said Lyceum head coach Gilbert Malabanan.
Jhuniel dela Rama kept the Golden Stags afloat with a double-double of 17 points and 15 rebounds, while Jose Lumanag added 15 points in the losing effort.
In the other play-in match, Jose Rizal University also advanced to the quarterfinals after mounting a strong endgame rally to turn back Emilio Aguinaldo College, 80–76.
Justin Lozano led the Heavy Bombers with 15 points, followed by Stephen Garupil with 14. Shawn Argente and Sean Salvador chipped in 12 and 10 points.
Nico Quinal paced the Generals with 16 points, while EJ Castillo and Wilmar Oftana added 14 and 13./PN
