There was no stopping Lyceum’s march to history in NCAA Season 93. Not a San Beda squad that showed its championship pedigree in the biggest game of the season so far. And certainly not a controversial call that nearly spoiled the Pirates’ bid to stay perfect.
The Pirates secured the No. 1 seed and a first finals appearance since joining the league in 2011, after a gutsy 107-105 double-overtime victory over the defending champion Red Lions at a jam-packed Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
Mike Nzeusseu drilled two free throws with 12.7 seconds remaining in the second overtime to punctuate a 27-point performance, before the Pirates collectively foiled Robert Bolick’s final attempt, completing a historic 18-0 sweep of the elimination round.
“We just told them the more minutes that we stay on the floor, the more people we will inspire,” said Lyceum coach Topex Robinson after the game.
When the buzzer sounded, the Pirates whooped it up on the court while JC Marcelino climbed the bleachers to celebrate with the Lyceum faithful as the Intramuros-based school ended a six-year wait for a championship appearance.
And the way the Pirates pulled off this victory against a worthy foe made the wait worth it.
“San Beda is really a strong team, and we respect them; they’re a well-coached team, they’re the defending champions,” Robinson said. “And we are just relying on having our heroes, the people that we honor in this game, that we offer this game (to). It’s really a dedication game for all of us.”
Robinson tried his best to deflect credit for what has been a historic campaign, but his players feel their coach deserves more than he has been getting.
CJ Perez, who scored 20 points, pointed to Robinson as his own hero.
“Actually, I thought about him as my hero,” Perez said, referring to Robinson. “He was getting mad at me because I kept on looking at him, but I thought about him and the trust that he gave me.”
After bungling the final play in regulation, Perez atoned for the miscue by scoring on an off-balanced shot with 4.7 ticks left in the first overtime to put the Pirates ahead, 97-96, but JC Marcelino was slapped with a dubious foul while defending Bolick at the backcourt. Bolick split his foul shots to send the game to a second overtime.
The Pirates and Lions traded big shots with both squads holding their ground up until Nzeusseu, the 6-foot-6 Cameroonian center, calmly sank the free throws that proved to be the difference between the two teams.
“We know that there is so much fight in them (San Beda),” said Robinson. “There is so much tradition with San Beda, with coach Boyet (Fernandez).
“We just told these guys to keep on playing, keep on believing in themselves, and just keep on grinding. We have to really play our very best, and no matter what happens in this game, it’s a win for us because when you survive those kinds of games, it’s gonna carry on to the next game.”
The Pirates will wait for the survivor of the stepladder semifinals, which will now have five teams after San Sebastian drubbed Perpetual Help, 80-60, later in the day to capture the fourth seed.