By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Reporter
PACE-SETTING Lyceum Pirates look to extend their unbeaten start to Season 93 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to seventh straight games today as they take on the Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) Generals at the latter’s home gym in Manila.
Set for 4 p.m., the “NCAA on Tour” encounter between Lyceum and EAC will feature two teams having it good early in the brand-new season of the country’s longest-standing collegiate league.
The Pirates (6-0) have come out of the starting gate ransacking the competition with their all-energy and all-out style of play on both ends of the court.
In its last victory, Lyceum conquered the Perpetual Help Altas, 76-58, with yet another balanced attack.
CJ Perez, one of the early favorites for league most valuable player, led the Pirates with 19 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Skipper Jesper Ayaay had 12 points and nine rebounds while Mike Nzeusseu finished with nine points and nine rebounds.
Lyceum trailed Perpetual Help, 35-34, early in the third quarter, before it went on a full-court press thereafter that effectively shut down the Altas’ attack while padding its own thrust en route to the victory.
“We just kept on playing and stayed aggressive and hungry,” said Perez, whose team is looking to sustain its best start in the NCAA since joining the league in 2011.
NOT IN OUR HOME
Out to halt the run of Lyceum is EAC (3-2), a winner in its last two games and gunning for a third straight NCAA victory right at its home.
“We want to be the first team to beat LPU. It is not going to be easy but we will do everything we can to come out with the win. We’ll have to prepare and find a way to break their full-court press which is creating havoc to opponents,” said EAC coach Ariel Sison.
The Generals, however, may miss the services of Cameroonian player Hamadou Laminou, who went out early in their previous game against the Arellano Chiefs last Tuesday after injuring his left knee.
Laminou was set to undergo an MRI and the team was hoping his injury is not season-ending.
Despite missing Laminou for much of the game, EAC still topped Arellano, 85-79, with graduating forward Sydney Onwubere taking charge with 17 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and a steal.
The NCAA on Tour is one of the notable changes for the league this season. It has the NCAA holding games in the premises of member schools. The NCAA said the reason behind it is to bring the league closer to its various stakeholders, particularly the students, and to further enhance interest in the league among them. In holding the games on the road, the NCAA said it has made sure that the venues are at par with tournament standards and security is beefed up to guard the safety of the participants and spectators.
