Arellano University dumped Lyceum, 97-83, for its third straight win in the NCAA Season 91 men’s basketball tournament Tuesday at Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
Jio Jalalon had a quiet 18 points that went with four rebounds and five assists to lead the Chiefs to their ninth win in 13 outings.
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Arellano led from start to finish and was never threatened.
“I always keep in mind of EAC’s win over Letran. I always remind my players about it that we should treat every game the same,” said Chiefs head coach Jerry Codiñera.
The Chiefs take on the San Sebastian Stags next on Friday before bracing for a tough grind with three straight games against Final Four contenders in Mapua, Letran and defending champion San Beda.
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“That’s a crucial stretch for us. We’ll just continue to build up on our position and enhance our players more.”
Wilson Baltazar paced the Pirates with 19 points, 11 coming in the fourth quarter where the game was already out of reach.
Lyceum, which dropped to 3-10, allowed Arellano to shoot 54% from the field while the team made only 39% of its shots.