Cobras defeat Warriors in Game 3 to move closer to Cesafi crown

Games today
Cebu Coliseum
Game 4
6 p.m. – SWU vs USC
SWU leads 2-1

Espoir Toyambi of the University of San Carlos fights for the loose ball against three Southwestern University players in last night’s Game 3 of the Cesafi men’s basketball tournament best-of-five finals at the Cebu Cebu Coliseum. (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)

The Southwestern University (SWU) Cobras now stand at the precipice of greatness as they inched closer to the Cesafi men’s basketball championship with a resounding 60-49 victory over the University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors in Game 3 of the best-of-five finals series last night at the Cebu Coliseum.

Jovanie “John Lloyd” Luz reprised his heroic role from Game 1 as he made several crucial plays in the fourth period even as reigning league MVP Mark Jayven Tallo awoke from his slumber to score 12 including a game-sealing jumper that gave Cobras the win and more importantly, a 2-1 series lead.

The Cobras will go for all the marbles against a reeling Warriors side in Game 4 today, slated for 6 p.m. at the same venue.

Luz, the former Far Eastern University guard, also finished with 12 points and added three steals. Tallo, who shot 0-for-9 in Game 2 and started yesterday’s match with four missed shots, chipped in four rebounds, a steal and a block.

SWU import Landry Sanjo once again battled foul trouble and finished with 10 points and eight rebounds while Daryl Goloran also had 10.

After seemingly going through the motions in Game 2 on Tuesday, the Cobras found their fire and, save for an 8-10 deficit in the first, led all the way behind a blanket defense that limited the effectiveness of USC’s star import, Shooster Olago, who finished with a mere 11 points on 1-of-5 shooting, and just five rebounds.

SWU led by as much as nine, 41-32, but eight free-throws by Olago near the end of the third brought USC closer, 41-44. The Cobras maintained their lead, 48-41, after a baseline jumper by Bernie Bregondo and a fadeaway by Bendly Valdor. But the Warriors pulled to within three behind two free-throws by Victor Rabat and a reverse lay-up by Charles Pepito.

But Luz once again came through in the clutch, hitting a corner triple before stripping the ball away from USC guard Gio Laguyo at halfcourt and going all the way for the lay-up for a 53-45 lead, 4:44 remaining.

The Warriors last threatened at 47-53 after two more charity makes by Rabat but SWU put the game away with a jumper from Goloran, free-throws by Sanjo and Luz and a keyhole jumpshot by Tallo that sealed the game’s outcome with 39.7 ticks left.

Rabat led USC with 12 points but the Warriors shot themselves in the foot with their abysmal shooting from beyond the arc where they made just two out of their 22 attempts.