By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
THE Lyceum Pirates will make their National Collegiate Athletic Association finals return after beating the Letran Knights, 109-85, in their seminal match on Friday at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
Held a twice-to-beat advantage in their semis pairing, the Pirates made sure not to use it by rising to the challenge when needed and pulled away to book their place in the finals of Season 94.
The Pirates sped early in the contest, building a 16-6 lead in the opening five minutes of the first quarter.
They would continue to build on it as reigning league most valuable player CJ Perez waxed hot from beyond the arc.
Lyceum held a 26-13 advantage with two minutes to go in the frame, before eventually settling for a 29-16 cushion at the end of the first 10 minutes.
The Pirates showed no let-up to begin the second period, with Mike Nzeusseu and Spencer Pretta making their presence felt on offense.
Lyceum stretched their lead to 16 points, 38-22, with seven minutes left.
But the Knights would make a run after, led by Christian Fajarito, Larry Muyang and Jeremiah Taladua.
Letran narrowed the gap at 38-32 at the 5:14 mark.
It kept the pressure on Lyceum but the latter would survive the charge back, bringing with it a 51-47 lead at the halftime break.
The start of the third period was abruptly halted in the opening seconds when Letran guard JP Calvo got hurt in a loose ball scramble when Nzeusseu landed on his ankle.
Calvo had to be carried off the court by teammates after because he could not put much weight on his ankle.
When play resumed, the Knights inched closer, coming to within a point, 52-51, with eight minutes left.
They overtook the Pirates momentarily, 56-55, before Lyceum reclaimed the lead, 58-56, with a triple from Jaycee Marcelino with 5:40 remaining in the period.
The Pirates created another separation, 66-56, at the 4:28 mark.
Cranking up its defense some more, Lyceun continued to pull away, piecing together an 81-64 advantage heading into the final canto.
Built much momentum at the end of the preceding quarter, the Pirates went for the early finish to begin the fourth.
They made it a 30-point separation, 98-68, with 6:23 to go in the game as Prietta and Marcelino propelled their team.
From there the Knights tried to reclaim some real estate but they would have litte success and saw their season come to an end.
Nzeusseu led Lyceum with 23 points and 17 rebounds while Perez had 19 markers.
Pretta and Marcelino each had 15 points with MJ Ayaay adding 11 points.
Muyang, meanwhile, paced the Knights with 21 points and 12 boards.
Graduating player Bong Quinto had 12 points and seven assists while Fajarito and Taladua finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
“It’s really a blessing to be back in the finals. We are not looking at it as revenge but more of an opportunity to inspire others,” said Lyceum coach Topex Robinson, whose wards lost to the San Beda Red Lions in the finals last year.
The Pirates face off in the finals with the winner between San Beda and the Perpetual Help Altas in the other semifinal pairing later yesterday.