Lyceum logs best finish after beating CSB

MANILA, Philippines – Lyceum picked up where it left off as it repulsed College of St. Benilde, 66-54, in the continuation of their game which was halted last week in the NCAA Season 89 men’s basketball tournament Monday at the Arena in San Juan.

The Pirates were leading, 32-31, at the 8:09 mark of the third quarter after the heavy rains caused leaks in the roof of the venue last October 10.

“We took it as a challenge and it came as a blessing that it was stopped because we were up by double-digits and Benilde got the momentum,” said Lyceum coach Bonnie Tan after steering his team to its best finish in the elimination round with an 8-10 record since joining the league in 2011.

“In a way it was really a blessing because we could’ve lost the game because we lost our energy,” Tan added.

While the Pirates, who fell short for a Final Four spot, appeared not to be affected by the postponement, the Blazers seemed as if they lost their rhythm.

After outscoring Lyceum, 26-12, to take a 49-44 lead after three quarters, St. Benilde struggled in the final frame with just five points as the Pirates capitalized en route to their fourth straight win.

Guard Dexter Zamora led Lyceum with 21 points while Aziz Mbomiko had a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds.

Center Robert Bartolo also finished with a double-digit points and rebounds with 13 and 15 for CSB, which dropped to 5-12.