Pirates slay Tamaraws in preseason hoopfest
MAC GUADANA caught fire and drained seven threepointers for 29 points to power Lyceum of the Philippines University to a 71-62 victory over Far Eastern University (FEU) for its first win in the Filoil Ecooil Preseason Cup on Monday at Filoil Ecooil Centre in San Juan.
It was an absolute shooting showcase from the sophomore guard who made seven of his nine attempts from rainbow country to lead the Pirates in establishing a 20-point lead in the third quarter.
The Tamaraws staged a late rally and got to within nine, 69-60, after a Patrick Sleat split from the line with 52.3 seconds left. But Maverick Venoya nailed a big bucket with 34.8 seconds remaining to seal off the win for Lyceum.
“I just have to remind my players that they have to enjoy the game. Sometimes if they don’t enjoy, they’re pressured,” said coach Gilbert Malabanan as the Pirates gained their first win in Group B.
Lyceum also drew solid games from John Barba, who had nine points and eight rebounds, and veteran Renzo Navarro, who finished with seven points, seven assists, two boards and two steals as the team collectively went 10-of-26 from three-point zone.
L-jay Gonzales poured 11 points for FEU in its second straight defeat. Emilio Aguinaldo College, meanwhile, used a strong 14-3 finish to pull the rug under University of the East, 72-65.
Adam Doria drained five treys for 21 points and JP Maguliano chipped in 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists for the Generals’ first win in Group A.
“Very evident that we’re too tight. I told them to not get pressured even though we faced a UAAP [University Athletic Association of the Philippines] team,” said coach Oliver Bunyi as EAC crawled back from a 13-point first-half hole, 41-28.
Adamson University, on the other hand, seized the early lead in Group A with a 67-48 drubbing of Arellano University and University of Santo Tomas (UST) used a late spurt to turn back Jose Rizal University (JRU), 86-78, in their respective openers also on Monday.
Joshua Barcelona unleashed seven of his 10 points in the Soaring Falcons’ 21-point fourth quarter performance to fend off the Chiefs en route to their second straight win. Adamson University coach Nash Racela, though, was not too pleased with his side noting,
“The way we played was very lousy. I just want our team to learn to see the bigger picture,” Racela said. “Ayokong short-sighted sila. I want to have that mentality that we want to prepare for the games in October.”
Matt Erolon shot 5-of-6 from downtown to lead the Soaring Falcons with 15 points while Cedrick Manzano added 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals to send Arellano University to its first loss.
Sherwin Concepcion dropped eight of his 20 points in the final canto as he drained six treys on top of his five rebounds and three assists, while Bryan Santos nabbed all of his 20 points in the first quarter to earn the Growling Tigers’ first win.
UST waxed hot late, staging a 20-5 assault to grab an 85-71 lead in the final 1:29 and leave JRU in the dust.