The University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors booked the final ticket to the semifinal round with an 82-60 victory over the Southwestern University (SWU)-Phinma Cobras at the end of the elimination round of the 2018 Cesafi men’s basketball tournament on Tuesday at the Cebu Coliseum.
USC ended up tied with the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Panthers at 5-7 (win-loss) but the Warriors earned the right to advance to the next round by virtue of their superior point difference.
USPF won over USC, 79-77, in the first round but USC defeated USPF, 66-60, in the second round of the double round-robin eliminations.
The Warriors will now be taking on the top-ranked University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars in the Final Four, which begins on October 20. The Jaguars will have a twice-to-beat advantage.
The other semifinal match-up will feature the two-time defending champions University of the Visayas (UV) against the University of Cebu (UC). The Green Lancers need only win once to move on to the finals.
Sommy Managor led USC with 25 points while John Reel Saycon and Jules Langres had 16 and 13 points, respectively.
The Cobras finished the season with just two wins against 10 losses.