JOSHUA MORALEJO TAKES IT UPON HIMSELF TO KEEP LYCEUM AFLOAT

JOSHUA Moralejo came out with one of the best individual performances in the clutch this NCAA Season 101, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for Lyceum. 

In a season filled with heartbreaks, disappointments and a whole lot of close calls, the senior guard finally gave the Pirates something to celebrate after leading them to a huge 78-66 win over the San Beda Red Lions on Tuesday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila. 

READ: Joshua Moralejo catches fire to lead Lyceum's upset of San Beda

Moralejo scored Lyceum’s final 11 points which came at a barrage of three-pointers from way downtown, capped off with an acrobatic lay-up over the outstretched arms of Janti Miller to give the Pirates just their second win in nine tries. 

The 5’10 guard didn’t hold back when asked about their struggles in the end game, something they ultimately fixed thanks to him. 

"Nawala sa amin yung composure at paano tumapos ng laro. Talagang nagcocollapse kami in the end of the quarter. Bago mag umpisa yung laro, kinausap kami ni coach na play your game at wag mawawala ang tiwala sa isa’t isa," he said. 

"Siyempre pag mga end game, nawawala kami, nararattle kami, nawawala yung passing the ball, yung tiwala, binalik lang namin yun, yung composure." 

And that trust couldn’t have been more evident this time around as once he found his groove, his teammates made sure to give way.

The 25-year-old out of Bulacan made sure not to put the trust to waste. 

Given the green light by coach Gilbert Malabanan and the star duo of Ato Barba and Renz Villegas, Moralejo showed no fear in hitting those long bombs – making sure that there will be no late game meltdown for the Pirates who’ve already suffered two losses in double-overtime, and another one in an extra-period this season. 

"Nangyari samin nung fourth quarter, talagang nagaall-switch sila, so wala kaming magawa," he recalled. 

"Sinabi ni coach na ako na daw magfacilitate, so ang ginawa ko nalang nanghihingi nalang ako ng ball screen at ako nalang ang didiskarte para kung ano man ang mangyari, mag-error, sa akin ang sisi."

That win kept the Pirates’ head above water as they tied the San Sebastian Stags at 2-7, just two games away from Group A’s second seed in Mapua with four games remaining in the tournament. 

The top two teams of each group will earn a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals. 

"Yung mindset namin is umpisahan na namin ngayon. Ang panget ng standing namin kung titignan natin, pero gaya nga ng sabi ko, tumindig kami," he said. 

"Looking forward parin kami. Hopeful kami na makakapsok parin kami sa final four and championship, positive parin kami."

2025-11-04T12:15:05Z