CEBU CITY, Philippines – The University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors and the University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers posted lopsided wins over their opponents Sunday, September 6 in the ongoing men's basketball tournament of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) held at the New Cebu Coliseum.
The USC Warriors recovered from their first loss in the second round of eliminations which they suffered at the hands of defending champion Southwestern University (SWU) Cobras as they made mincemeat of the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Panthers, 100-72.
The UV Green Lancers, for their part, added another win to their record with a 91-62 demolition of the University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters.
The USC Warriors now tote a 7-1 win-loss record while the USPF Panthers are stuck at the bottom rung with an 0-8 card as victory continues to be elusive for the comebacking team.
For the second time this season, Charles Pepito was hailed as the best player of the game with his 16 points and 11 rebounds. Four other Warriors finished in double figures with import Shooster Olago topscoring with 22 points, Ian Jefferson Tagapan accounting for 13 points despite missing many attempts beyond the arc, Caesar Ian Ortega with 11 points and Victor Manuel Rabat with 10 points.
Brantford Borces led the Panthers with 18 points while Kino Matthews Bajamunde added 11 points.
The Panthers managed to keep up with the Warriors in the first quarter, tying the game 6 times and only trailing by two points, 22-20, going into the second canto.
In the second quarter, back-to-back triples from Panthers' Jawein Wisdom Ceniza and Thomas Laver once again brought the game at a deadlock, 30-all, with still seven minutes remaining in the ballgame.
The Warriors then went on a 15-0 run that allowed them to build a 13-point advantage, 45-32, at the halftime break.
In the third quarter, the Warriors continued to pile up on the points bringing their lead up to as much as 31 points, the highest in the ballgame, at the 2:10 mark with Pepito drawing five fouls which he converted to four points.
The Panthers rallied and managed to bring down the Warriors lead to 20, 77-57, points going into the final canto.
However, the Warriors was able to bring their advantage back to 31 points, 98-67, inside the last two minutes of the ballgame on Izak Kiefer Lim's basket.
Lyndon Colina scored 5 straight points for the Panthers, however, the Warriors still ended the game with a 28-point advantage.
The same for the UV versus UC match, the Green Lancers' lead also went up as high as 34 points at the 1:27 mark of the second quarter.
The Webmasters was not able to get much out of Melvin Butohan and Joseph Daniel Mayol who were both sick. Despite his illness, Butohan topscored for UC with 10 points alongside Filvenson Culango while Mayol only managed 3 points.
The win hands the Green Lancers a win-loss record of 7-2 while the Webmasters shares fourth place with the Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) Wildcats with their similar 3-5 record.
JV Veloso was named as the best player after scattering 13 points, pulling down 5 rebounds and making 2 assists. Also scoring in double figures were Rey Anthony Suerte and Alwin Aguirre who each contributed 10 points.
University of Visayas dominate University of Cebu
The Green Lancers were eager to draw blood by containing the Webmasters to just 9 points, 31-9, at the end of the first quarter.
The lead quickly ballooned to 29 points, 51-22, at the end of the first half.
The Webmasters tried to get back into the game but the Green Lancers were simply too much for them.
Meanwhile, the quarterfinals for the juniors division will begin on Tuesday, September 8 with the UC Junior Webmasters enjoying a twice to beat advantage against the USPF Baby Panthers, who placed third last season.
Game Schedule
Tuesday, September 8 at New Cebu Coliseum
5:15 PM – UC vs USPF (Juniors)
6:45 PM – USJR vs CITU (Seniors)
Scores
First game:
UV (91) – Veloso 13, Suerte 10, Aguirre 10, Akomo 8, Mendoza 8, Cabanero 7, Balabag 6, Codilla 6, Macion 6, Santillan 6, Manzo 4, Napao 4, Arong 2.
UC (62) – Butohan 10, Culango 10, Codilla 7, Tagudin 7, Dacalos 5, Puerto 5, Jabello 5, Suelto 4, Mayol 3, Montilla 3, Dumat-ol 2, Grafilo 2.
Quarter Scores: 31-9; 51-22; 68-44, 91-62.
Second game:
USC (100) – Olago 22, Pepito 16, Tagapan 13, Ortega 11, Rabat 10, Magat 6, Suarez 6, Lim 4, Maconocido 4, McAloney 3, Oleodo 3, Adlawan 2.
USPF (72) – Borces 18, Bajamunde 11, Quiachon 9, Ceniza 8, Alocillo 5, Colina 5, Sastrillas 5, Langahin 4, Laver 3, Bolivar 2, Cando 2.
Quarter Scores: 22-20, 45-32, 77-57, 100-72. – Rappler.com