LNU Dukes win first clash
2009 PRISAA-UCAAP Basketball Championship
THE Lyceum Northwestern University Dukes held off a furious comeback bid by the Pan Pacific University of North Philippines, taking a 107-105 triumph on Monday in their first clash in the best-of-three finals of the 2009 PRISAA-UCAAP Inter-Collegiate Basketball Championship held at the LNU gym.
With the LNU team leading by seven points after the first half, 53-46, then behind by two points, 78-80, at the end of third period, Dukes veteran point-guard Benjie Labitoria knocked in 10 clutch points in the last two-and-half minutes to help quell the comeback of the rampaging PUNP five.
But it was the show of Dukes’ prolific forward Michael Indoy, burying a game high 30 points, 27 from the first three quarters and sealed the game with a free throw. Labitoria contributed 27 points and Lionel Razon adding 17, both mostly done in the perimeter range.
The PUNP five, first timer of this league dubbed this year as “Mayor Al Fernandez Jr. Cup,” tried hard to stay at bay but were outrun and outgunned in the dying minutes and blamed two of the three referees fortheir debacle.
They missed 16 out of 43 free throw attempts that obviously helped to cause their misfortune.
Their head coach manifested their concerns about officiating to the league’s commissioner Angel Gumarang and the latter assured both teams that new referees will be assigned to the second match slated afternoon of September 22 at the same venue.
In the first game of the day and for third place, the University of Luzon Golden Tigers maintain its supremacy over University of Pangasinan Webczar by clobbering the 2005 champions, 96-79. —JAG, Jr.
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