Pirates deal Stags first loss

There’s something about Lyceum’s Renzo Navarro and Jayson David that keeps them super motivated every time they play against San Sebastian.

Though Navarro and David refused to admit it, going up against their former school was a chance to showcase that they are now better off as Pirates.

The former Stags infused stability on both ends of the floor for the Pirates, who dealt San Sebastian a first setback in the NCAA Season 95 basketball tournament after a come-from-behind 80-69 win Tuesday at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

“I always play hard regardless of who we face. I just got lucky those shots went in,” Navarro humbly said in Filipino after torching the Stags with three triples in a crucial stretch during the fourth period.

Ato Ular saved the day for Letran with a defensive gem in the dying seconds for a 91-89 escape over Emilio Aguinaldo College in the nightcap.

The 6-foot-5 Ular swatted away a potential game-tying attempt by Renz Gonzales as the Knights preserved the victory, their fourth straight after an opening-day defeat at the hands of the Pirates.

Ular, hands-down Letran’s best player for the second straight game, finished with 19 points and nine rebounds to complement Jerrick Balanza’s 22 points and Edson Battiler’s 17.

Jose Rizal, meanwhile, drew a stellar performance from its young guns and pulled off a 71-66 upset of highly-favored Perpetual Help in the first game.

John Amores proved his worth with 15 points while fellow rookie JL Delos Reyes also posted numbers that helped the Bombers notch a second straight win after dropping their first three matches.

More than unloading a scoring binge built on the efforts of David and Navarro plus the consistency demonstrated by twins Jaycee and Jayvee Marcelino, the Lyceum defense mercilessly shut down San Sebastian star RK Ilagan.

While Allyn Bulanadi found it difficult to choose his spots and score just 13 for San Sebastian, Ilagan was held scoreless in the loss.