San Sebastian’s Jhuniel Dela Rama knew exactly what they were in for when they took on Lyceum in the NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball tournament.
‘As a rookie, we know we have to adjust a lot and we lack experience. What we did today is we just went hard so we wouldn’t regret anything in the end,’ he said at Mall of Asia Arena on Friday.
So when the Golden Stags and the Pirates clashed for a chance to enter the win column in Group A, Dela Rama and company made sure to get the job done.
Even if it meant having to play a couple of overtimes to notch the 100-94 win.
‘It feels nice to get this win, especially in two unexpected overtimes,’ Ian Cuajao said after San Sebastian snapped a two-game skid to start the tournament.
Cuajao spearheaded the Golden Stags’ breakthrough with 25 points, including the game-sealing triple, 98-94, with 20 seconds to go.
Christian Ricio also scored 25 while Dela Rama dominated the boards with 15 points and 23 rebounds.
John Barba notched a game-high 32 points for Lyceum but it went down the drain as the Pirates stayed winless after three games.
To add salt to the Pirates’ wounds, their latest loss was their second defeat in double overtime after a 90-89 heartbreaker at the hands of defending champion Mapua in the season-opener last October.