NCAA: Lyceum Pirates shoot for 4th straight win

EARL Thompson (below) and the Altas have been down in the dumps the last two games. AUGUST DELA CRUZ

MANILA, Philippines — Lyceum shoots for a fourth straight victory against skidding Perpetual Help Wednesday, even as Letran and Emilio Aguinaldo seek to end their losing streaks in the 90th NCAA basketball tournament at Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

The Pirates are out to tighten their grip on third spot in the 2 p.m. game against the Altas, who have lost their last two games, after starting the season with three straight wins.

“It will be tough facing a team coming from two straight losses and we have to be prepared for that,” said Lyceum coach Bonnie Tan referring to the Altas.

The Knights have found themselves on unfamiliar ground near the bottom of the standings after a string of disappointing performances in the past three weeks.

The 1-4 start to the season is already the worst since 2010 for the Knights, who, just last year, reached the finals.

But the Generals are also in a similar predicament as coach Gerry Esplana has struggled to find the right combinations despite retaining some of the standouts of his team that barely missed the Final Four last season.

The spotlight will be on the Pirates as they gun for their best start since joining the league in 2010.

Unveiling solid newcomers in Joseph Gabayni and Guy Mbida, the Pirates have plenty of weapons now apart from do-it-all guard Dexter Zamora, who still leads the team in scoring with 14.5 points per outing.

The Altas have been relying heavily on the trio of Harold Arboleda, Earl Thompson and Juneric Baloria. And although the three players got the job done in their first three games, playing heavy minutes seems to be taking a toll on them in the last two games.

“Teams now are focusing on my three players,” said Aric del Rosario in Filipino referring to Thompson, Baloria and Arboleda, who have combined to average 56 of the 78 points their team is scoring every game.

With their outside shooting deserting them in the second half, the Altas bowed to the Chiefs, 85-97, last Saturday.

Another victory will keep coach Bonnie Tan’s charges at No. 3 and closer to the San Beda Lions and Arellano U Chiefs, who are tied at the top with 5-1 slates.