Games today:
(Cebu Coliseum)
5:15 p.m. CEC vs UV (High School)
6:45 p.m. SWU vs USJ-R (College)
CEBU CITY, Philippines—Partner’s Cup champion Southwestern University (SWU)-Phinma Cobras and last season’s runner-up University of San Jose Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars look to end their skids when they meet for their last game of the first round of elimination in the College division of the ongoing 19th Cesafi Men’s Basketball Tournament on Thursday, October 3, 2019.
SWU is on a two-game skid, losing to the Cebu Institute of Technology University (CIT-U) Wildcats, 67-62, last September 28, and the defending champion University of the Visayas (UV), 71-66, last September 26.
SWU head coach Mike Reyes says he knows what the team needs to recover.
“We just have to play better than we did in the last two games,” said Reyes, whose team dropped to 3-2 (win-loss) after momentarily taking the lead early in the season.
“We have to lessen the burden for Lamine Thiam. We’ve been giving him too much responsibility. Maybe he is getting tired,” added Reyes.
Against USJ-R, Reyes thinks being more aggressive will be the key.
USJ-R is on an alarming four-game skid and coach Leode Garcia is hoping his team breaks out of the slump for a better chance at a final four spot.
“Of course gusto namu nga mudaug para naa pa gyud mi chance nga makasulod sa magic 4,” said USJ-R head coach Leode Garcia.
(Of course we want to win so we can still have a chance of entering the magic 4.)
Garcia said he needs his team to be consistent of they want to make it to the next round.
“But gusto nko nga ila mental toughness and mindset is we end by winning mentality kay sayang ang gihaguan nga nindot kaayo ang pakita sa 1st to 3rd quarter nya dili ma sustain inig 4th…in short kinahanglan lang ko ug consistency, kung unsay amo gisugdan nga nindot mu end sad mi ug nindot nga result,” said Garcia.
(But I want their mental toughness and mindset to be that we end with the winning mentality so the hard work that we put in from the first to third quarter will not be wasted because we cannot sustain it in the 4th…in short, what I really need from them is consistency, that if we started with a good game, then we should also end with a good result.)
Prior to the collegiate game between SWU and USJ-R, the UV Baby Lancers will face Cebu Eastern College (CEC) Dragons in the High School division. /bmjo