These Pirates are for real!

This appears in the Tuesday May 19, 2011 edition of the Business Mirror.

These Pirates are for real

by rick olivares

This guest team will not roll over and die for the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s traditional powers. The Lyceum of the Philippines University Pirates are for real. And after dealing highly-fancied Mapua a stinging 77-73 loss in yesterday’s Senior’s Match up of NCAA Season 87 at the San Juan Arena, they are at fifth place in the ten-team standings with a 3-2 slate.

After being on the ropes against an All Mangahas-inspired Cardinals squad in the third, the Pirates, LPU’s big three of Rich Guevarra, Chris Cayabyab and Allan Santos pulled the rug from Mapua to leave them winless in three starts.

Guevarra, Lyceum’s pistolero, hit back-to-back treys from the right quarter court with the last forging a 61-all tie. After Onofre Napiza scored on a putback with 5:52 left in the fourth, LPU did not surrender the lead.

LPU’s big three scored 20 of their team’s 25 points in the payoff quarter while they silenced Mangahas and center Mark Sarangay. Mangahas was running up and down the floor with wild abandon in the first three periods as he racked up 19 points, 4 steals, and 2 assists. Sarangay pounded in eight big points inside the lane during the third but laid a big fat egg in the fourth to Mangahas’ measly two-points.

Mapua still had a chance to squeeze out their first win as Mangahas hung in the air for a jumper from close range, 69-all. But the NCAA’s 2008 Rookie of the Year bricked two free throws in their next possession and Josan Nimes missed a trey attempt. In LPU’s next set, a Flagrant 1 foul was whistled on Mapua’s Andretti Stevens for a hard foul on Cayabyab at the two minute mark that allowed precious seconds to slip away even as the Pirates’ gunner tacked on a free throw for a 73-69 LPU lead.

Cayabyab scored on a layup to make it 75-70 after a split from the free throw line by Nimes.

With 39 seconds left, Jason Pascual hit a wide-open triple to make it 75-73. They forced LPU into a 24-second shot clock violation with 14.4 seconds left, but with time running out, the ball was swung once more to Nimes whose desperation three was well short. Guevarra added one more free throw to close out the scoring.

After LPU’s win, eighth year head coach Bonnie Tan was effuse in his praise for Santos, the transferee from Adamson University who he did not expect to play basketball as he transferred to the Intramuros school to get a degree. “Blessing siya sa amin (Santos in five matches has averaged a double double) and we are happy that he is a part of our team as we make history,” said Tan who was vividly happy about the win. “Masaya ‘to para sa amin at sa supporters namin.

Guevarra score 23 points for LPU while Santos tallied 15 points and 13 boards. Onofre Napiza added 14 while Chris Cayabyab, guarded tightly by Kenneth Ighalo, scored 10 points on 4-12 shooting.

Mangahas led the sinking Cardinals with 21 points with Ighalo and Yousef Taha each chipping in 11 points.