Josh Moralejo buried the game-clinching trey as the undermanned Lyceum of the Philippines University gutted out a 64-62 win over University of the Perpetual Help System DALTA in NCAA Season 100 on Wednesday.
Moralejo’s heroics, which saw him sink just his first triple of the game, allowed the Pirates to improve to 4-4 and bounce back from a narrow 90-88 loss to EAC last Sunday.
The ALTAs, meanwhile, slipped to a similar 4-4 card as they absorbed a second loss in a row following an 82-73 triple overtime heartbreak against Letran.
"I know and I believe in this guy. Binibigyan ko lang minsan ng disciplines kasi medyo makulit pa siya," LPU coach Gilbert Malabanan said.
"Minsan nage-enjoy na siya kahit 'di pa tapos 'yung game. 'Yun 'yung gusto kong matutunan niya in the future, 'yung maturity. Pero kaya ko nga siya kinuha sa team kasi I believe in him."
With the LPU starters not having any luck, the Pirates' bench stepped up big time for Malabanan as evident by their 45 bench points against the 19 of the ALTAs.
Part of that bench rampage was Renz Villegas, Jonathan Daileg, and Moralejo as they erased what was once a 58-49 Perpetual lead midway through the fourth period.
Daileg sank a pair of free throws before his three-pointer and a Villegas layup trimmed LPU's deficit to just three, 57-60, with only a minute and 15 seconds left.
John Barba then had the courage to bury a corner triple despite missing his other seven attempts from the field, making it a 60-62 affair still in favor of Perpetual.
Perpetual still had the game in its hand, but Mark Gojo Cruz committed a costly turnover that set the stage for Moralejo's game-winning triple.
Villegas scored 18 points off the bench while also grabbing seven steals, five rebounds, and three assists while Daileg tallied 10 markers, two boards, two dimes. Moralejo finished with eight markers.
Gojo Cruz still emerged as the top scorer for the skidding Perpetual, dropping 14 points, five rebounds, and three assists while Shawn Orgo chipped in 13 markers, seven boards, and three dimes.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
