John Barba made sure Lyceum of the Philippines University got back on the winning track on Saturday, leading the Pirates to an 86-82 win over University of Perpetual Help System DALTA in NCAA Season 98 action.
Barba scored 18 of his game-high 20 points in the first half before he got a lift from his teammates in the fourth quarter as they put the game away.
Enzo Navarro and Mclaude Guadaña chipped in with 14 markers each, with Navarro also dishing out seven assists.
Down by one early in the fourth, the Pirates unleashed a quick 9-0 run to build a double-digit spread, 80-70, led by Omar Larupay and Shawn Umali.
But the ALTAs managed to uncork a rally of their own, pulling to within two after a Mark Omega layup in the final 1:45 to fuel a 10-2 rampage, 82-80.
Perpetual's Jun Roque sank two free throws to again make it a two-point deficit, 84-82, with 26.6 ticks left following a short jumper from Larupay.
Barba then split his charities for an 85-82 cushion with 12.9 left before Jielo Razon missed out on his corner triple.
Barba again sank one free throw to seal the deal for the Pirates.
Lyceum finally ended its two-game losing skid to improve to 9-5 while Perpetual dropped to 5-8.
The Pirates sizzled early with 14 points and three triples in the opening period before matching his previous season-high of 18 points by halftime, with Lyceum ahead, 47-40.
It was Carlo Ferreras, meanwhile, leading the way on the side of Perpetual as the sophomore paced the Altas with 11 markers as Lyceum was able to lead by as much as 13 in that two-quarter stretch.
Roque and Ferreras finished with 16 points apiece to pace the ALTAs.
The scores:
Lyceum 86 - Barba 20, Navarro 14, Guadaña 14, Peñafiel 18, Bravo 7, Montaño 6, Umali 6, Valdez 6, Larupay 5, Cunanan 0.
Perpetual 82 - Roque 16, Ferreras 16, Razon 13, Egan 11, Omega 8, Flores 8, Abis 4, Nitura 4, Barcuma 2, Martel 0, Cuevas 0, Pagaran 0, Boral 0.
Quarters: 26-18, 47-40, 68-67, 86-82.
—JMB, GMA News
