Bassiere Sackour, the Liberian import of the University of the Visayas, drives to the basket against University of San Carlos’ Victor Rabat in Game 1 of the 16th Cesafi men’s basketball tournament best-of-five finals yesterday at the Cebu Coliseum.
(CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)
Game today
(Cebu Coliseum)
High School, Finals, Game 2
4 p.m. – SHS-Ateneo de Cebu vs. UC
The University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers pulled away late in the third period to take down the defending champions University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors, 76–60, and take a 1-0 series lead in the best-of-five championship series in the 16th Cesafi men’s basketball tournament yesterday at the Cebu Coliseum.
The Green Lancers were trailing the Warriors until late in the third, when they rallied after their Liberian big man Bassiere Sackour, was called for his fourth personal foul.
Not long after, they scored 13 unanswered points before completely dominating the fourth as wingmen Rey Suerte and Toto Segumpan got going to help UV snatch the series-opening win.
The Warriors actually led, 47-45, after USC’s Congolese big man Scotty Ntumba scored inside while getting fouled by Sackour, the latter’s fourth with 4:55 to go in the third.
But the Green Lancers regrouped and got going behind the Davao-native Suerte, who sparked a 13-0 blast with an and-one, a split from the line and later, a three-pointer that eventually gave UV a 58-49 lead heading to the fourth.
The Green Lancers pushed their lead to 63-49 after a putback by Monic Soliva and a triple by Segumpan. The Warriors trimmed it down to 10 but the Green Lancers pulled away for good with nine straight points that gave them their largest lead of the game at 72-53, 2:54 left in the game.
“I just told them to play their game, to compose themselves and keep on playing our style of play even if our import (Sackour) was sitting on the bench,” said UV head coach Gary Cortes.
The veteran Soliva had a monster game as he scored 18 points, pulled down 10 rebounds, had two steals and two blocks. Suerte finished with 13 while veteran guard Alfred Codilla added 12.
USC got 12 from Ian Tagapan while Kevin Oleodo and Clint Munez had 11 each.
In the battle for third place, the Southwestern University-Phinma Cobras took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series after they beat the University of San Jose-Recoletos Jaguars, 85–80.
THE SCORES
UV (76) Soliva 18, Suerte 13, Codilla 12, Albina 9, Gahi 7, Sackour 6, Segumpan 5, Balabag 4, Macion 2.
USC (60) Tagapan 12, Oleodo 11, Munez 11, Rabat 7, Tan 6, Divinagracia 5, Ntumba 4, Catapusan, Laguyo 2.QUARTERSCORES: 19-12, 37-37, 58-49, 76-60.