Lyceum’s second loss in the NCAA Season 94 men’s basketball tournament came in the unlikeliest of ways when a review decided the outcome of its 80-79 loss to Letran Friday.
The Pirates could’ve gotten into overtime had Jaycee Marcelino’s late three not been ruled a two-pointer after the referees converged at the end of regulation.
Pirates head coach Topex Robinson, though, immediately shrugged off the loss and instead focused on the future of his team, which is already nearing the Final Four bonus.
“At the end of the day, there’s so much basketball to be played and this kind of experience will just keep binding us together as a team,” said Robinson after his team fell to a 12-2 card for the no.2 spot in the standings.
“This experience will make us sharper as a team because they know that what doesn’t kill them will make them stronger.”
Letran and Lyceum were embroiled in a dramatic fourth quarter that saw the two teams slug it out for almost seven minutes.
The scores were knotted up at 75-75 before Bong Quinto went to work scoring five points for the Knights for the 80-77 lead.
Marcelino, however, would initially tie it with 40.8 seconds left but the referees downgraded it to a two-pointer after they reviewed the field goal at the end of the game.
Robinson said he accepts the decision of the referees to review the shot at the end of the game, despite having several dead ball situations between Marcelino’s shot and the final buzzer.
“That was the decision of the referees and they won’t do something they’re not sure of,” said Robinson. “They’re all human, they make mistakes and that makes them human.”
Robinson added that his team is also okay with what transpired at the end of the game.
“Winning is not the end goal, it’s making sure the players will grow and what better way to grow than with this experience. We will be defined by how we’ll finish this season and the season after that and the season after that.”