BY WAYLON GALVEZ
Mclaude Guadaña and John Barba came through with clutch baskets and Lyceum defeated San Beda, 79-74, to even their NCAA junior’s tournament finals series yesterday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Ahead by two points 73-71, Guadaña buried his third three-point basket of the game that gave LPU a 76-71 advantage with 42.9 seconds left.
Yukien Andrada answered with his own triple to cut Lyceum’s lead back to two points, 76-74, but Barba – the season’s Most Valuable Player – nailed a shot from the rainbow territory with the shot clock winding down to make it 79-74 with 16.7 seconds to go.
Lyceum’s win forced a winner-take-all Game 3 on Tuesday at the same venue.
Meanwhile, Calvin Oftana of the Red Lions formally received his MVP trophy during the awarding ceremony.
Oftana topped the Statistical Points departmentwith 51.56 Player Average Value (PAV). He joined teammates Evan Nelle and James Canlas, LPU’s Jaycee Marcelino and San Sebastian’s Allyn Bulanadi in the Mythical Team.
Oftana was also named to the All-Defensive Team together with Perpetual Help’s Ben Adamos, Emilio Aguinaldo College’s JP Maguliano, San Sebastian’s JM Calma and Arellano University’s Justin Arana, the season’s Rookie of the Year.
Letran’s Fran Yu bagged the Most Improved Player award, while Cameroonian center Donald Tankoua of San Beda was named the season’s Best Foreign Player and his compatriot Mike Nzeusseu of LPU was given the Best Defensive Foreign Player.
