Red Lions gun for NCAA crown
SAN Beda College shoots for another championship while Lyceum of the Philippines University seeks to force a do-or-die match when the two powerhouse teams clash in Game 2 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Season 93 Finals today at the Araneta Coliseum. toward its 10th title in 12 years and new league record of 21st overall with a 94-87 victory over erstwhile unbeaten Lyceum Friday at the same venue.
closing moments, firing eight straight points that gave the defending champion a 91-82 lead with 35 seconds left in the game, practically sealing the huge win.
Despite drawing first blood in the believes that the Red Lions are still the underdogs against the Pirates.
“I’ll stick to the brand that we are still the underdogs. We just won one game against LPU. It’s not yet over. We still have to win one more game,” said Fernandez, emphasizing that his wards lost twice to the top seed this season.
career-high tying 24 points on top of four rebounds and two assists in 35 minutes of action in the series opener, expects a tougher Pirates today.
“I’m pretty sure they will be more aggressive in Game 2. So, we should be
The Pirates, meanwhile, are raring to bounce back in order to continue their Cinderella run of an unprecedented 18game sweep of the elimination round and
going to bounce back,” said Lyceum mentor Topex Robinson.
Recently crowned Most Valuable Player CJ Perez wants to do the same.
“What’s in my mind is we need to bounce back. We will still do what we can for the next game,” said the athletic forward, who scored a team-best 25 points to go with eight rebounds the last time out.
Robinson took the blame for their Game 1 loss, which saw the boys from Intramuros blow a 12-point lead in the third quarter.
“At the end of the day, it’s my respon- mistake, I’m sorry,” admitted Robinson.
The 37- year old tactician though wants to dwell on the brighter side instead, noting that they gained experience heading into their win-or-go home tiff.
“I told the players, ‘We are not new to championship anymore.’ At least, there’s no more excuse for us now to say that we’re new to this,” said Robinson.