UV forces winner-take-all Game 3

UV’s Lass Coulibaly secures the ball from SWU-Phinma defenders in Game 2 of the Cesafi men’s basketball finals on Thursday, November 21, 2019, at the Cebu Coliseum. CDN Digital photo | Gerard Vincent Francisco

Cebu City, Philippines—The University of the Visayas (UV) showed the heart of a champion as the Green Lancers downed the Southwestern University (SWU)-Phinma Cobras, 73-59, in Game 2 of the Cesafi men’s basketball finals on Thursday, November 21, 2019, at the Cebu Coliseum.

The defending champions tied the best-of-three series at 1-1 to force a winner-take-all game to be played on Friday, November 22, at the same venue.

Las Coulibaly led the UV win with 13 points, taking advantage of the absence of SWU-Phinma import Lamine Thiam for most part of the game due to foul trouble.

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Thiam, who was among the Mythical Five Selection, was called for two early fouls in the first quarter that forced him to sit out the game early.

He returned in the second quarter only to commit another foul, his third, with one half to play. He then was called for his fourth foul in the third, which affected his defensive ploy on the 6-foot-8 Coulibaly.

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Thiam did score 13 point, too, but it was Sir Shaquille Imperial who led the losing squad with 15.

Imperial was earlier named the season’s Most Valuable Player (MVP).

BOXSCORES:

UV Green Lancers (73) – Coulibaly 13, Soliva 12, Cabahug 11, Cometa 9, Delator 7, Gahi 6, Butohan 4, Tarrosa 4, Maestre 2, Maglasang 2.

SWU Phinma Cobras (59) – Imperial 15, Thiam 13, Evardo 9, Polican 8, Cachuela 5, Roncal 4, Sanchez 3, Fernandez 2. /bmjo

Watch the game here:

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