Pirates close in on Final Four berth

MANILA, Philippines — Jonathan Daileg went from zero to hero as he bailed out Lyceum of the Philippines University with a fourth quarter to remember in a 74-65 victory over Emilio Aguinaldo College yesterday in NCAA Season 100 at the Filoil EcoOil Arena.

Daileg erupted for all of his 11 points plus a pair of key blocks in the final canto that helped catapult the Pirates to solo No. 4 with a 9-8 record.

LPU would advance to the Final Four outright if it could pull the rug from under fancied College of St. Benilde Friday.

“Binulungan ko yan a few games before, ang lamig kasi ng kamay kaya tinanong ko kung kinakabahan,” said LPU coach Gilbert Malabanan of Daileg. “Buti nag step up this game.”

The win marked the return of daredevil forward John Bravo, who missed several games due to concussion issues. He helped in defense, plucking seven rebounds while chipping in two points in 14 minutes of action.

Later, University of Perpetual Help ended its season on a bright note with an 86-82 win over Jose Rizal U for a 7-11 record. The Bombers limped to 4-13.