By REYNALD MAGALLON
The Altas just poured cold water to the Final Four plans of the red-hot Pirates.
Mark Omega had ice on his veins, drilling a game-winning triple with 2.4 seconds left as Perpetual snapped Lyceum’s five game winning streak, 81-80, to keep its Final Four hopes alive in the NCAA 99 men’s basketball tournament at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan on Sunday, Nov. 12.
With the Altas down by two, 78-80, Omega banked a clutch trey from the left wing off a nice kick-out pass from Jielo Razon to sustain their resurgence to four straight wins and improve to an 8-7 record in the standings.
The gutsy shot not only ended the winning run of Lyceum but also boosted Perpetual’s chance of advancing to the playoffs, tying Jose Rizal University at the sixth spot of the standing, just one game outside the Final Four.
Omega’s heroics didn’t let the splendid performances from Marcus Nitura, Joseph Pagaran and Art Roque put to waste as the Altas, after trailing for the most part of the contest, completed the come-from-behind win.
Nitura nearly notched a triple-double with 18 points, nine rebounds and nine assists while Roque chipped in a double-double effort of 14 points and 11 rebounds. Pagaran also had 14 while Omega chipped in 10.
Enoch Valdez paced the Pirates with 16 points and six rebounds but his botched free throws with 26.3 seconds left are surely to cause sleepless nights to him especially that Lyceum missed a chance of seizing the top spot with the loss.
Meantime Mapua squandered a double-digit lead in the second half but recovered just in time to frustrate San Beda, 71-69, and stand alone atop the standings.
Struggling all game long, Paolo Hernandez delivered when it mattered the most, drilling the go-ahead triple with 14.2 seconds left to help the Cardinals save some blushes after throwing away a 14-point lead and trailing by as many as 12 points early in the final frame.
It was the only shot Hernandez made in the contest but made sure to make it count as Mapua inched closer to a Final Four berth with a 12-3 record in the standings
The rest of the Cardinals did their fair share in the win, clamping down on the defensive end after limiting San Beda to just five points in the payoff period.
Clint Escamis shone for Mapua with 21 points while Marc Cuenco and Warren Bonifacio added 13 and 11 points, respectively.
