LYCEUM survived off a late fightback by Mapua to hack out an 80-78 victory in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament on Monday at The Arena in San Juan.
The Pirates squandered a huge double-digit lead before holding on to register their second victory in four games to tie Jose Rizal University in fifth spot.
Andoy Estrella missed a potential game-tying layup that would’ve sent the game into overtime and the Cardinals remained one of only two winless squads in the league, absorbing a fourth straight setback.
Still, the Cardinals fought admirably in the absence of top scorer Joseph Eriobu, who was out with a hyperextended knee.
“But a win is a win,” Pirates coach Bonnie Tan said. “Undermanned yung kalaban, but they fought well. Talagang breaks of the game lang nung huli (para sa amin.”
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