Pirates, Knights shoot for 2nd wins

A CONFIDENT Lyceum squad tries to build on the biggest victory of its NCAA existence when it clashes with Arellano today in the Season 89 men’s basketball tournament at Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

Buoyed by a stunning 70-66 upset of defending champion San Beda, the Pirates now pose a big threat in the 4 p.m. duel with the Chiefs, who dropped their first assignment last Thursday.

Lyceum coach Bonnie Tan believes the upset of San Beda will put his team in an even tougher spot as the season progresses.

“It’s just going to get tougher from here,” said Tan, after his team scored its first victory against San Beda since the Pirates joined the league in 2011.

Letran shoots for its second win and the solo lead when it squares off with Emilio Aguinaldo College in the 6 p.m. match. The Knights are coming off a 74-69 triumph over the Stags last Saturday.

With Raymond Almazan dominating inside the paint, the Knights drew just enough firepower down the stretch to repulse the Stags.

The Knights also unveiled a gem of a rookie in Rey Nambatac, who tallied 13 points in his debut.

“We’re still a work in progress,” said Letran coach Caloy Garcia of his team, which struggled in some stretches against San Sebastian.

The Generals were listless in the 49-69 defeat to the Perpetual Help Altas last Thursday. EAC got off to a horrible start, scoring just eight points each in the first two quarters.