NCAA PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines-University of Perpetual Help System Dalta refused to end its Final Four campaign by shutting the door on Lyceum with a narrow 72-69 victory Sunday in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the La Salle Greenhills Gym.
Kim Aurin and Jielo Razon orchestrated the decisive turn of events for the Altas with key incursions down the stretch to keep their aspirations alive of qualifying to the play-in stage with one crucial game left.
The Altas escaped from the claws of early elimination and could seal a spot in the next phase depending on the result of their final assignment against the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals on Friday.
Aurin finished with 22, Razon added 14 and Cris Pagaran had 12 points and seven boards for the Altas, who cashed in on Lyceum’s spate of turnovers and relied solidly on second-chance points to move up at joint sixth with the San Sebastian Stags at 3-5.
Teams ranked third to sixth will figure in the play-in phase after the single-round elimination to determine the two other Final Four qualifiers.
Omar Larupay churned out 17 points and 11 rebounds for the error-prone Pirates, who will skip the semifinals for the first time since 2016.
The scores:
PERPETUAL 72 — Aurin 22, Razon 14, Pagaran 12, Barcuma 7, Cuevas 5, Martel 4, Egan 4, Movid 3, Boral 1, Abis 0, Omega 0, Sevilla 0.
LYCEUM 69 — Larupay 17, Navarro 9, Guadana 9, Remulla 9, Bravo 8, Valdez 6, Cunanan 4, Umali 4, Guinto 2, Barba 1, Garro 0.
Quarters: 23-22, 41-36, 55-52, 72-69.