After a morale-boosting win over Letran last week, the Arellano Chiefs bagged their second straight victory with an 83-52 rout of the Lyceum Pirates in NCAA Season 88 action Saturday at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

Filipino-Canadian forward James Forrester, the hero of the win against Letran, again led the way with 19 points, six rebounds and two assists for Arellano.

“I wanted to contribute to the team and get my rhythm after my first breakout game in the league. This is a very big boost for us,” said Forrester.

But it was the Chiefs’ intense defense that enabled them to break the game wide open. Lyceum shot just 21-of-64 from the field for a 33 percent clip.

“Gusto ko mainstill sa hearts ng players na there’s no shortcut in success,” said Arellano coach Koy Banal.
“Our goal is to be a well-oiled machine both on offense and defense.”

Banal downplayed the lopsided score, and said the schedule helped his team out.

“Ang Lyceum may fatigue factor na. It’s taking a toll on them. We’re coming off a one-week rest, and they didn’t have the legs to keep up with us. Plus, nadepensahan namin ang scorers nila like Ko, Cayabyab and Guevarra,” said Banal.

The win pushed the Chiefs’ win-loss card to 2-3 and snapped Lyceum’s two-game winning streak. The Pirates’ record fell to 2-4.

The Scores:

Arellano (83) — Forrester 19, Zulueta 12, Hernandez 10, Caperal 9, Cadavis 8, Pinto 8, SAlcedo 7, Acidre 5, Bangga 2, Palma 2, Espiras 1, Lunas 0.

Lyceum (52) — Cayabyab 12, Guevarra 10, Zamora 8, Ko 4, Azores 4, Francisco 4, Laude 3, Garcia 3, Martinez 2, Pascual 2, Edding 0, Mallari 0, Ambohot 0.

Quarters: 20-16, 43-21, 66-41, 83-52

Source: Mia Rengie Angela Domingo, InterAKTV