Wildcats end drought with win vs Cobras; Panthers prevail over Jaguars

USPF Panthers (in blue) try to stop a USJ-R Jaguar from scoring in their collegiate game of the ongoing 19th Cesafi Men’s Basketball Tournament. | Gerard Vincent Francisco

Game for today Sunday, September 29, at Cebu Coliseum

5 p.m. – UC vs USC

CEBU CITY, Philippines – It may have taken five games before the Cebu Institute of Technology University (CIT-U) Wildcats posted a win in the ongoing 19th Cesafi Men’s Basketball Tournament.

But the Wildcats also made sure that their first win in the college division was  an upset as they outsmarted this year’s Partner’s Cup champions Southwestern University (SWU) Phinma Cobras, 67-62, Saturday, September 28.

“Sa tinuod lang proud kaayo mi nga nakadaog mi karon. Fulfilling kaayo kay kapoy ang practice namo  nya finally nakakuha na jud mi ug daug,” said Clark Adrian Con-ui, who top-scored with 10 points.

(We are really proud that we won. It is very fulfilling because our practices are very tiring and finally we got a win.)

Con-ui shared the top-scorer honor with Jessie Aloro Jr. and Monsour Proel who also had two assists, three steals and one block.

The Wildcats were under pressure to win a game as not only do they remain as the only team that has yet to win but the first round of elimination was also ending.

“Ingon ni coach nga salig lang sa kaugalingon and execute lang sa defense kay offense will follow,” narrated Con-ui of the instructions given to them by CIT-U head coach Edsel Vallena before the start of the game.

(Coach had been telling us to just trust capabilities and execute our defense because the offense will follow.)

Lamine Thiam led SWU with 15 points. The loss put the Cobras in a three-way logjam at second place with University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors and University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Panthers. The three have identical  3-2 win-loss record.

After the Wildcats managed a slim lead in the first quarter, 12-11, the game tied four times in the second quarter including the 26-all going into the halftime break.

The game got tied for the fifth time at 28-all early in the third quarter before the Wildcats started controlling the game until the final whistle.

William Rosebelt Polican managed to bring the Cobras close at just three points with a trey inside the last two minutes, 65-62, but Aloro sealed the Wildcats first win by converting his two charity shots.

The second collegiate game also provided for an exciting match-up with USPF Panthers prevailing over last season’s runner-up, University of San Jose Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars, in overtime, 69-78. The regulation ended at 65-all.

Import Sameen Swint once again towed the Panthers with 27 points.

With just 13.5 seconds left in regulation, it had looked like the USPF Panthers was about to win the game on Neon Chavez’s gift shots, 65-62.

Juan Miguel Gastador, however, brought the game into overtime when his attempt from the three-point arc went in, tying the game at 65-all.

The 5-minute extension was, however, an all-USPF show with Swint pulling the Panthers ahead by eight points following his two treys. / dcb

BOXSCORES

First Game

CIT-U Wildcats (67) – Aloro 10, Con-ui 10, Proel 10, Sable 7, Escalona 6, Kong 6, Garcia 4, ventura 4.

SWU Phinma Cobras (62) – Thiam 15, Cachuela 12, Fernandez 10, Roncal 7, Imperial 5, Polican 5, Alforque 3, Evardo 2.

Second Game

USPF Panthers (78) – Swint 27, Mendez 16, Chavez 9, Langahin 8, Sarañina 7, Ursal 6, Cabatingan 2, Estardo 1, Piramide 1.

USJ-R Jaguars (69) – Gastador 23, Solomon 15, Camara 8, Echavez 6, Carin 5, Cabulao 4, Pascua 3, Robles 2.