Lyceum quickly bounces back at Letran as NCAA Round 2 begins

Ato Barba came close to a triple-double as Lyceum got back at Letran. NCAA

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--Lyceum did the exact opposite of how the team ended the first round of the NCAA men's basketball eliminations by blasting Letran, 91-68, right at the start of the second round on Friday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.

Losing 66-78 in their last first-round game against the Knights last week, the Pirates bounced back mightily, pulling away, 21-7, in the fourth quarter to score their own blowout win.

Renz Villegas led Lyceum, which moved up to 5-5, with 23 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

Ato Barba, the league's leading scorer at the end of Round 1, flirted with a triple-double after tallying 19 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists with two steals.

Initially ruled out for the rest of the season due to a back injury, JM Bravo made a shocking return and came close to a double-double with 10 points, eight rebounds, and one assist.

Deo Cuajao led Letran, which dropped to 6-4, with 16 points.

The scores:

LPU 91-Villegas 23, Barba 19, Montano 16, Bravo 10, Versoza 7, Aviles 5, Cunanan 4, Peñafiel 4, Daileg 3, Moralejo 0, Paulo 0, Gordon 0, Panelo 0, Palingayan 0

Letran 68-Cuajao 16, Estrada 11, Javillonar 10, Miller 9, Monje 9, Santos 8, Nunag 2, Delfino 2, Montecillo 1, Baliling 0, Pradella 0

Quarterscores: 21-21; 49-43; 70-61; 91-68

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