MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATED) Lyceum of the Philippines University unleashed its full might on Letran on Friday, as the Pirates overpowered the Knights to secure their spot in the finals of the NCAA Season 94 men’s basketball tournament.

In front of a capacity crowd at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan, the Pirates broke their semifinal game open in the third quarter en route to a 109-85 victory.

Thus, for the second season in a row, Lyceum is headed to the NCAA title series. The Pirates advanced to the finals outright last year after an 18-game sweep of the elimination round. This time, they settled for the second seed with a 15-3 record, with one of those losses coming against the Knights.

In the final 4, however, the Pirates reached another level that the Knights simply could not match.

“It’s really a blessing to be in the finals,” said Lyceum coach Topex Robinson. “We don’t say this is vengeance, or that this is payback. It’s not in our vocabulary. It’s just setting the stage for the opportunity for us to inspire a lot of people.

“What’s importance is how we will cherish this experience.”

The Pirates were in control most of the way, leading 29-16 at the end of the first quarter then fending off the Knights for a 51-47 lead at halftime. Letran made its move in the third quarter, eventually taking a 56-55 lead with 6:22 to go off a Koy Galvelo triple.

The lead was short-lived for Letran. In the ensuing possession, Jaycee Marcelino uncorked a 3-pointer to regain the advantage for the Pirates, which started a 15-0 spree that put Lyceum completely in control, 70-56.

“We were never going to be surprised if they caught up. We know how good this team is,” Robinson said of Letran. “What’s important is we have to stick to our purpose, and they know our purpose is to inspire others.”

The Knights clearly missed the stabilizing presence of veteran point guard JP Calvo, who was injured just 16 seconds into the third quarter after battling for the loose ball with Lyceum’s Mike Nzeusseu, and having his left ankle trapped under the body of the big man.

Letran came to within 10 points, 72-62, with 2:56 left in the third following a triple and two charities by Bonbon Batiller. However, it would be the Knights' last time to threaten, as Lyceum ended the quarter with a 9-2 run for an 81-64 lead heading into the payoff period.

The fourth quarter proved to be extended garbage time, with Lyceum simply pouring in the points against shell-shocked Letran. The Pirates reached the century mark with 5:18 left, when CJ Perez soared for a lay-up that made it 100-68.

Lyceum led by as many as 37 points, 105-68, off a Perez triple with 4:30 left to play, before Robinson sent in his bench.

Nzeusseu finished with 23 points and 17 rebounds, while Perez — who came off the bench for the first time this season — had 19 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals. Marcelino (15 points), Spencer Pretta (15 points) and MJ Ayaay (11 points) all reached double-digits in scoring for the Pirates, who shot a blistering 54.79% from the field in the game.

“We wanted to dictate the tempo early,” Robinson said. “These kids are really driven, and they know how important it is, not just for the team, but for the people that really believe in us.”

Larry Muyang, hero of Letran’s upset of Lyceum in the second round, had 21 points and 12 rebounds, while senior Bong Quinto had 12 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists. Calvo, however, was limited to 9 points and 3 dimes, and played just 19 minutes due to injury.

The Pirates will play the winner of the other final 4 match-up between top seed San Beda and No. 4 Perpetual Help.

Game 1 of the best-of-3 championship series is on November 6.

The scores:

LPU 109 — Nzeusseu 23, Perez 19, Marcelino JC 15, Pretta 15, Ayaay 11, Santos 9, Caduyac 8, Tansingco 3, Ibanez 2, Serrano 2, Yong 2, Cinco 0, Lumbao 0, Marcelino JV 0, Valdez 0

CSJL 85 — Muyang 21, Quinto 12, Fajarito 11, Taladua 10, Ambohot 9, Calvo 9, Batiller 6, Celis 4, Galvelo 3, Agbong 0, Mandreza 0, Yu 0, Pambid 0

Quarters: 29-16, 51-47, 81-64, 109-85

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