Pirates dismantle Blazers by 43 for fifth win in a row
Letran Knights arrest losing skid
THE streaking train that is the Lyceum Pirates continued to chug along yesterday, thumping on the College of St. Benilde (CSB) Blazers, 98-55, for their fifth win in as many games in Season 93 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Bucking a slow start, the Pirates pressed on beginning in the second period and never looked back to book win number five and keep their league-leading and unblemished record intact.
Later in the day, the Letran Knights snapped their two-game losing streak by defeating the Arellano Chiefs, 82-75, in the second game.
The contest between Lyceum and CSB got off to a competitive start with the two teams exchanging leads for much of the opening period.
A strong finishing kick though by Lyceum would give it a 16-11 lead at the end of the quarter.
The Pirates picked up where they left off to begin the second quarter, going on a 15- 3 run to extend their lead, 31-14, in the first five minutes.
CSB tried to fight back to gain some ground back but Lyceum’s suffocating defense and crisp outside shooting made it tough for the Taft-based school to get any headway.
The second canto surge of the Pirates’ saw their lead ballooning to 26 points, 47-21, by the halftime break.
The Blazers racked up five straight points in the opening minute of the third quarter to cut their deficit.
Much like what they did in the second period though, the Pirates were quick to nip the CSB rally in the bud and continued to dominate the rest of the way.
They claimed a 68- 34 advantage at the end of the third quarter.
Despite the outcome of the contest already sealed, Lyceum continued to pound on CSB in the payoff period.
The Pirates established their biggest lead of 46 points, 89-43, with four minutes left in the ball game en route to coasting along all the way to the end.
Jaycee Marcelino led Lyceum with 17 points to go along with seven rebounds and three assists.
Wilson Baltazar had 16, going four-of-nine from beyond the arc, while CJ Perez finished with 14 points, six rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
CSB, meanwhile, was led by Unique Naboa with 14 markers.
“We remember our defeat to them last year where they broke their 17-game losing streak and they ended with a 1-17 record. That was their motivation for this game,” said Lyceum coach Topex Robinson after their victory over CSB.
Now at 5- 0, the Pirates are hoping to build on what has been an exciting time for Lyceum basketball and continue improving.
“Not many has really made a mark in Lyceum basketball and this is a good opportunity for us to make our mark. It starts on our defense and hopefully we continue performing well on that end,” Mr. Robinson said.
Lyceum next plays on Friday against the Perpetual Help Altas while it will be a short turnaround for CSB (1-3) as it plays tomorrow against the Letran Knights in an NCAA on Tour game at the latter’s Muralla gym.
Meanwhile in the second game, Letran notched its second win of Season 93 by holding off Arellano.
Lost in their two previous matches, the Knights played with better footing when push came to shove to stave off a third consecutive defeat.
Letran held a five-point lead, 74-69, with two minutes remaining, which proved to be enough distance for them to build on for the losing streak-busting win.
Big man Jeo Ambohot guided Letran to the win with 15 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks.
Rey Nambatac added 13 points and 12 rebounds for the now 2-3 Knights.
Lervin Flores paced Arellano with a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds.
“We are happy with the win and that our losing streak had ended. The team is still very young and I hope they can continue to improve,” said Jeff Napa, Letran coach, in the postgame press conference.