MANILA, Philippines — Colegio de San Juan de Letran bounced back from a prior setback by outlasting Lyceum of the Philippines University, 96-86, in the NCAA Season 102 men’s basketball tournament on Thursday, October 8.
Shrugging off a recent 65-74 loss to archrival San Beda University, the Knights established control during a dominant third quarter. Powered by the offensive surge of Titing Manalili and Denzil Sison-Walker, Letran carried a 76-55 advantage into the final frame.
The Pirates launched a late comeback, capitalising on Manalili’s exit with 1:55 remaining after he suffered an awkward fall on a drive against Lyceum’s Roger Ondoa and had to be assisted to the locker room.
Lyceum cut the lead to nine at 85-76, but clutch execution from Letran’s Kevin Santos and Justin Cargo neutralized the threat and secured the win.
The victory elevated Letran’s record to 4-2, moving them into a tie for the top spot in Group B with Arellano University, while Lyceum dropped to 1-5 to remain at the bottom of Group A.
“This win is really important for our team morale,” said Walker, who collected 15 points, six rebounds and three steals. “We didn’t want to dwell on our previous losses but we also couldn’t ignore the fact that we lost back-to-back. It was crucial that we got the win today.”
Before his injury, Manalili produced a double-double of 23 points and 12 assists. Jimboy Estrada added a game-high 25 points, while Chad Gammad chipped in 12. Matthew Rubico sparked Lyceum with 21 points, accompanied by Ondoa’s 17 points and six rebounds.
In the second game, defending champion San Beda University held off the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, 71-63, to extend its winning streak to three games.
Guided by Jomel Puno, the Red Lions managed the game late after Perpetual closed a 65-55 gap to 65-59 via shots from Juan Tulabut and Rey Maglupay. San Beda responded down the stretch to claim the win and improve to 5-2 in Group A.
Puno posted 15 points and three rebounds for the Mendiola squad, with Kyle Jamora and RC Calimag providing 14 and 12 points, respectively. Tulabut topped Perpetual with 14 points and six rebounds in the loss.
Game 1 Scores:
Letran (96) — Estrada 25, Manalili 23, Walker 15, Gammad 12, Montecillo 6, Cargo 6, Santos 3, Buensalida 3, Hugo 2, Muyuela 1, Reyes 0, Villanueva 0.
Lyceum (86) — Rubico 21, Ondoa 17, Guadana 9, Penafiel 8, Villegas 7, Daileg 6, Almario 4, Matienzo 4, Nocum 2, Manuel 2, Aviles 0, Fuentes 0, Pallingayan 0.
Quarterscores: 22-20, 53-43, 76-55, 96-86.
Game 2 Scores:
San Beda (71) — Puno 15, Jamora 14, RC Calimag 12, Torculas 9, Reyes 6, Marcelo 5, Hawkins 4, Lina 3, Etulle 3, Efron 0, Ugaddan 0, Bonzalida 0, Songcuya 0, R. Calimag 0.
Perpetual (63) — Tulabut 14, Borja 9, Gojo Cruz 8, Gelsano 7, Maglupay 6, Orgo 6, Casinillo 6, Duremdes 5, Corpuz 1, Cristino 1, Cauguiran 0.
Quarterscores: 15-20, 33-34, 55-50, 71-63.