By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
LETRAN finally solve the riddle of Lyceum as the Knights finally beat their Intramuros neighbors for the first time in two years, 80-79, and gained a semis playoff yesterday in the NCAA men’s basketball yesterday at The Arena in San Juan City.
Bong Quinto stepped up in the crunch and unloaded 10 of his 20 points in the fourth period to fuel the Knights to their 11th victory in 15 games.
The win, which kept Letran at third, not only assured them of at least a playoff for the Final Four berth but also dealt Lyceum its second loss against 14 wins to drop at second.
The game, however, took an ugly turn after referees ruled Jaycee Marcelino’s triple in the last 40.8 seconds to only a two after video replay showed the Pirates pointguard was stepping on the arc.
Marcelino’s trey actually tied the game at 80-all. Lyceum had a chance to win the game in regulation after Letran’s BonBon Batiller lost possession that allowed Marcelino a game-winning triple attempt, but it bounced off the rim.
Larry Muyang led Letran with 23 points and 16 boards while JP Calvo added 18 points.
Mike Nzeusseu scored 25 points and 10 rebounds in a losing effort for Lyceum. Reigning MVP CJ Perez had 16 points but was silent in the second half.
Earlier, Mapua snapped a three-game losing run with an 80-67 thumping off Emilio Aguinaldo College.
The Cardinals relied on a strong fourth quarter attack anchored on Noah Lugo and Laurenz Victoria to pull away from a slim 52-50 lead on the way to a big win.
In the other game, Arellano whipped Jose Rizal University, 86-70, to improve 5-10.
