LYCEUM fended off the late-game rally of Perpetual and hacked out a 94-83 win on Thursday to book the school’s first semifinals appearance in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 93 at the Filoil Arena in San Juan City.
CJ Perez scored 21 points, and added five rebounds and nine assists, as the Pirates sealed a Final Four spot for the first time since they joined the league in 2011.
“It’s really something that we are not accustomed to. We will continue to ride on whatever we have right now,” Lyceum Head Coach Topex Robinson said. “We are humbled and blessed to be in this position.”
The Pirates barged through the semifinals with a perfect 13-0 record with five game left on their calender, an improvement from last year’s 6-12 finish that placed them in ninth place.
“We have a vision to go to. If we’re goal-oriented, we are only headed to the Final Four. But we want more than that,” Robinson said.
The Pirates were ahead by 11 midway into the final frame until the Altas threatened to pull an upset by trimming the lead to just four, 85-81, with two minutes left in the game.
Facing an imminent danger, Lyceum responded with seven straight points, none bigger than JC Marcelino’s triple with 41.5 seconds to go that cut the life off from the Perpetual side.
Mike Nzeusseu and Jayvee Marcelino added 15 points apiece for the Pirates, with the former hauling 15 rebounds more.
Prince Eze’s efforts of 26 markers and 20 boards were put to waste as the Altas found a dimmer path toward the semifinals with a 4-8 slate.
Image credits: Nonoy Lacza