By: Kim Yoshi Espiritu
Letran Knights falters yet again to Lyceum Pirates at the FilOil EcoOil Arena. Photo courtesy of Kyla Anne Velasco of The LANCE.
The Letran Knights lost another reversal to their nextdoor competitors, the Lyceum Pirates, 79 - 85 in their second round of the NCAA Season 99 Basketball Tournament today at FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
The dynamic duo of Deo Cuajao and Kobe Monje did not waver in displaying the pride of the champions despite being scratched from the Final Four picture as Cuajao shone with game-high 24 points on top of two rebounds and two assists while Monje sizzled with 20 points on his own.
With no timeouts left in the crucial moments, the Letran Knights allowed their neighbors to grab a sneaky 29 - 11 comeback run and three straight treys from John Bravo to ice the ball game.
A sloppy tip-off sustained eight turnovers for both Muralla-based squads five minutes early into the game. The Lyceum of the Philippines University Quickly redeemed themselves in the latter half of the first canto by shooting 5/9 (55.6%) treys. However, Deo Cuajao led all scorers with Eight.
With both teams matching prowess in transition, the Knights put the effort to contain Enoch Valdez and Shawn Umali from bulldozing the paint. Kobe Monje looked aggressive as he raked up foul calls to capitalize in the charity stripe, chipping nine markers to help Letran close the second period, 45-41.
The Colegio de San Juan de Letrán were determined to take over the third after an emphatic chase down rejection by defensive guard, Nicko Fajardo. Their furious offense commanded a double-digit lead courtesy of a DC tough two-pointer and Kobe’s ranged step-back.
Facing another inconsistent final quarter, the opposing Mclaude Guadaña made back-to-back triples after a hard collision with Kobe Monje. Coach Gilbert Malabanan, upon realizing the dark shirts’ counter, shifted his game plan for the Pirates’ long-range to operate.
Valdez and Guadaña spearheaded the Pirates with 18 points apiece while Bravo added 17.
In spite of being dethroned, the gallant Knights are looking sound in their rebuilding phase. Entrusting their future to their new heroes who continue to show promise while their team is plagued by injuries not seeing action from Guarino (MCL Strain) and Javillonar (DNP). Unfortunately, main man, Kurt Reyson, is reported to be out of the season due to his aggravated hamstring injury.
The Letran Knights will face their previously beaten team, San Sebastian Stags on Wednesday, 2:00 pm at the same venue.
The Scores:
QUARTER: 23-25, 45-41, 56-68, 85-79.
LETRAN (79) — Cuajao 24, Monje 20, Go 8, Santos 6, Nunag 6, Fajardo 5, Bataller 4, Jumao-as 4, Garupil 2, Ariar 0.
LPU (85) — Valdez 18, Guadaña 18, Bravo 17, Umali 7, Montaño 6, Villegas 6, Omandac 6, Cunanan 5, Peñafiel 2, Barba 0, Aviles 0, Fuentes 0.