Jaguars stage late comeback to hand Warriors first loss
Jaybie Mantilla of USJ-R goes strong against the defense of USC’s Victor Rabat in a Cesafi seniors game at the Cebu Coliseum.
CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON
Jaybie Mantilla and RJ Dinolan hit big shots down the stretch to help the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars pull off a come-from-behind 61-58 win over the erstwhile unbeaten University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors in the 17th Cesafi men’s basketball tournament yesterday at the Cebu Coliseum.
Down five, 58-53, with 1:15 to go, Mantilla and Dinolan joined forces in a back-breaking 8-0 run to lead USJ-R to its fourth win in five games.
USC tasted its first loss in six outings.
Mantilla finished with 16 points, four rebounds and four assists to pace the Jaguars while Dinolan came up with a double-double performance of 14 markers and 15 boards.
Mantilla started the comeback after completing a three-point play to bring USJ-R to within two, 56-58, with 1:06 left.
USC’s Victor Rabat missed two from the charity stripe after that and Dinolan split in his own trip to the freethrow line to slice the deficit to 57-58 with 33.7 seconds remaining.
Rabat was once again fouled and again faltered on both shots, the second attempt not even hitting the rim.
Mantilla took advantage of the opening as he drove into the teeth of USC’s defense and dropped the ball off to Dinolan, who kissed the ball off the glass to give USJ-R a 59-58 lead with 16.2 seconds left.
Magic Marata tried to save the day for USC but missed on his fallaway jumper. USJ-R big man Albert Catiloc pulled down the board but was fouled and missed both his attempts from the line.
Fortunately for the Jaguars, wingman Tricky Peromingan grabbed the offensive rebound and then swished two from the line for the final count.
In the high school division, the University of the Visayas Green Lancers raced off to their fifth win in a row, beating the Southwestern University-Phinma Cobras, 90-65.
The Cebu Institute of Technology-University Wildkittens also nabbed their second straight win, with a 65-59 victory over the Cebu Eastern College
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