Rubico leads charge as Pirates turn back Altas
Lyceum may have finally found its newest go-to guy in the NCAA Season 102 men’s basketball tournament.
Staring at a four-game losing streak, the Pirates turned to young gun Matthew Rubico for the 98-89 win over fellow struggling squad Perpetual Help at San Juan Arena on Tuesday.
Rubico had 21 points, seven rebounds, four assists and a steal in the win, but it was perhaps his contributions that could not be measured that proved pivotal for the Pirates.
“I kept on huddling everyone during every dead ball [in the fourth quarter],” he said. “I had to tell them to stay composed, stick to the system, trust each other and the coaches. We got this, this win is ours, that’s all I kept telling them.”
His words and young leadership marshalled veterans like Renz Villegas and Jonathan Daileg, who both responded to Rubico’s exhortations with 19 and 18 points, respectively.
“This win wasn’t on me alone. This was a collective effort. A lot of guys also reached double digits for us, and those who needed to step up, stepped up,” said Rubico.
Mac Guadana and Roger Ondoa helped the Pirates’ cause with 14 and 11 points as Lyceum improved its record to 2-5 in Group A.
The Altas dropped to 2-5 with Ray Maglupay leading Perpetual with 19 points.
Later, Arellano snapped its three-game slump with a 56-55 win over defending champion San Beda.
The Chiefs relied on T-Mc Ongotan, who finished with 17 points and eight rebounds to fuel his squad, which hiked its win-loss record to 5-3 and tied San Beda in Group B.
Aldous Torculas’ double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds led the Red Lions, while Dan Marcelo added 10 in the defeat.
