By Kristel Satumbaga
Games Tuesday
(The Arena, San Juan City)
8 a.m. – Perpetual vs Arellano (Jrs)
10 a.m. – Letran vs Malayan (Jrs)
12 noon – Perpetual vs Arellano (Srs)
2 p.m. – Letran vs Mapua (Srs)
4 p.m. – San Beda vs JRU (Srs)
6 p.m. – San Beda vs JRU (Jrs)
Lyceum averted what could be an embarrassing collapse as it thwarted Emilio Aguinaldo College’s gutsy comeback to pull off a 106-97 win yesterday in NCAA men’s basketball at The Arena in San Juan City.
To the surprise of the Pirates, the Generals came through with a 31-8 run early in the third that pulled them to within 80-72 from a 72-41 deficit.
The Pirates, however, refused to be intimidated, retaliating swiftly to notch their second straight win in as many games.
They beat the San Sebastian Stags, 85-80, in the opener last Saturday.
Lyceum coach Topex Robinson rued his players’ complacency in the third period that allowed EAC to make open shots from the 3-point zone.
They drained 6 triples to make the game interesting.
But when the Pirates regained their sharpness, the Generals crumbled bit by bit.
“We have to remind ourselves that EAC will not just give us the win. What happened to us in the third quarter is part of the learning curve that I’ve been telling the boys. If we relax, it’s going to be a recipe for disaster,” said coach Topex Robinson.
Jaycee Marcelino paced the Pirates with a career-high 24 points, including 13 from the fourth quarter, while grabbing eight rebounds and snatching five steals.
CJ Perez contributed 20 points, five boards and six steals, while Ralph Tansingco and Jayvee Marcelino added 11 and 10 points.
Lyceum started strong racing to a commanding 30-13 lead in the opening quarter before padding it to 21 points (59-38) at the half.
The Generals slowly wheeled back into the contest through the efforts of Hamadou Laminou, Jerome Garcia and Jethro Mendoza.
To the chagrin of their supporters, the Generals failed to sustain their comeback.
