Espoir Toyambi of USC goes for a slam dunk in Game 2 of the Cesafi Finals at the Cebu Coliseum. (CDN PHOTO/CHRISTIAN MANINGO)
Like the Spartans of yore that they so proudly mimic, the University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors played with defiance in their eyes and held the high-octane offense of the Southwestern University (SWU) to a season-low in points to win Game 2, 53-46, and tie the Cesafi men’s basketball championship series up at 1-1 last night at the Cebu Coliseum.
After receiving a tongue-lashing from head coach Junthy Valenzuela for their lackadaisical effort in Game 1, the Warriors responded with aplomb and stood between every Cobra and the basket at nearly every turn resulting in a low-scoring affair that played into the hands of USC.
Nobody epitomized USC’s toughness more than Cameroonian import Shooster Olago, who finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.
After committing a whopping nine turnovers in the series-opener, Olago dialed it down and turned the ball over just twice. But most importantly, it was his presence in the middle that anchored a stingy USC defense.
MVP SCORELESS
Though Landry Sanjo managed to reach double-figures with 13 points, he was made to work for every single one and was kept from dominating the boards as he finished with a mere four rebounds. And this time around, it was Sanjo’s turn to get flustered as he committed 10 turnovers.
But nobody on the SWU side struggled more than reigning league MVP, Mark Jayven Tallo, who was held scoreless on 0-for-9 shooting with five turnovers to his name.
The writing was already on the wall early in the game as USC pounced on a listless SWU squad, scoring 11 unanswered points capped by consecutive makes by Espoir Toyambi for a 17-5 first period lead.
Though the Cobras threatened several times, the Warriors batted them back and even upped their lead to a high of 11, 32-21, before the Cobras moved to within three, 36-39, at the end of the third.
The Cobras appeared to be on the cusp of a comeback after a baseline jumper by Jasper Parker and a floater by Game 1 hero Jovanie Luz trimmed the deficit to just two, 40-42. But the Warriors relented and built the lead back to nine, 49-40, after an open layup by Charles Pepito, a thunderous slam-dunk by Olago and a triple by Kiefer Lim with 4:24 left.
The Cobras then waved the white flag a minute later and Olago celebrated the equalizing win with another tomahawk slam with 11 ticks remaining.