11 October 2018
By Maxine Louise Lagman
Manila, Philippines – Lyceum of the Philippines University earned a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four showdown after defeating College of St. Benilde from the run, 77-64, in the NCAA Season 94 men’s basketball tournament on Thursday at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan.
Lyceum were only up by nine points coming into the fourth, 62-53, when Reymar Caduyac orchestrated a much-needed rally that put them up ahead from the Blazers.
Caduyac proved to be an unstoppable force for the Pirates as he drove his squad down the stretch thanks to six consecutive baskets that gave them the advantage and sealed the win.
The Pirates, standing on a 15-2 win-loss record, tied with defending champs San Beda University to having a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four race.
CSB could still have made it to the race with 10 wins, but fourth-seeded University of Perpetual Help already outlasted them with an 11-5 record.
CJ Perez paved the way for Lyceum with a double-double record of 17 points and 10 rebounds on top of four steals, while big man Mike Nzeusseu had 13 markers and eight boards.
Caduyac stepped up his game for this match as he filled the stat sheets with 10 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals, while MJ Ayaay chipped in another 10 markers.
On the other hand, Justin Gutang had 13 points and seven rebounds, while Clement Leutcheu finished with 11 markers in the losing effort.
The Scores:
Lyceum 77 – Perez 17, Nzeusseu 13, Caduyac 10, Ayaay 10, Tangsingco 8, Marcelino JV 6, Yong 4, Pretta 3, Marcelino JC 2, Ibanez 2, Santos 2, Valdez 0.
St Benilde 64 – Gutang 13, Leutcheu 11, Carlos 11, Dixon 8, Haruna 8, Naboa 7, Nayve 5, Pasturan 1, Belgica 0, Young 0.
Quarters: 26-17, 37-35, 62-53, 77-64.
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