Lyceum Pirates’ Jonathan Daileg during an NCAA Season 100 men’s basketball tournament. –NCAA PHOTO
Jonathan Daileg felt jittery that he couldn’t find his range the past two games.
Daileg shed off the tension and brought the Lyceum Pirates closer to another Final Four stint in come-from-behind 74-65 victory over the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals on Tuesday in the NCAA Season 100 men’s basketball tournament.
The spindly forward poured all of his 11 points in the final period as the Pirates reversed the trend of chasing the Generals in a whirlwind finish that secured Lyceum’s ninth win with one game remaining prior to the playoffs.
READ: NCAA Season 100: John Barba steers Lyceum past JRU
“Coach (Gilbert Malabanan) told me to just keep on shooting if I get the opportunity. It will eventually go in,’’ said Daileg in Filipino after nailing a couple of threes down the crucial stretch.
The Generals were ahead entering the fourth and seemed headed to pulling away built on the efforts of Aldeo Lucero.
But Daileg suddenly got into the flow and conspired with Ato Barba and JM Bravo that saw the Pirates go on a blitzkrieg that erased the deficit and even led 64-55 in a surprising turn of events.
“His (Daileg) hands were cold the past two games. I held it again today and they were hot. I knew that he would deliver,’’ said Malabanan.
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Renz Villegas paced them with 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and a steal while Mclaude Guadana had 10 points, five rebounds and two assists for the Pirates, who will close out the second round against College of St. Benilde.
They’re still in a tight race for the fourth and final spot in the semifinals along with the Letran Knights and the Generals, both of whom are tied in an 8-9 record for fifth.
Harvey Pagsanjan led the Generals with 16 points and King Gurtiza added 14 after EAC only made two out of their 31 three-point attempts.
They have to defeat the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers in their final assignment to remain in contention in the Final Four.
The Scores
LYCEUM 74 – Villegas 12, Daileg 11, Guadaña 10, Barba 9, Versoza 9, Cunanan 8, Peñafiel 5, Aviles 4, Montaño 2, Bravo 2, Moralejo 2, Panelo 0, Paulo 0, Pallingayan 0, Gordon 0
EAC 65 – Pagsanjan 16, Gurtiza 14, Lucero 8, Bagay 7, Quinal 5, Loristo 5, Oftana 4, Luciano 4, Umpad 2, Ochavo 0, Jacob 0, Doromal 0, Bacud 0
Quarter scores: 20-16, 30-27, 43-45, 74-65