Recently crowned Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) champions Southwestern University (SWU) Cobras and runners-up University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors lived up to their top billing as they registered victories at the start of the 10th Asian Universities Basketball Championships (AUBC) – Cebu Province International Basketball Cup, last Wednesday night at the Don Celestino Martinez St. Sports Complex in Bogo City, northern Cebu.
The Cobras slipped past bitter rivals University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers, 61-60, while the Warriors waxed hot and cold before prevailing over the visiting Myongji University White Horse, 84-78.
The local team with the best record at the end of the single-round competition will get the chance to represent the country in the 2015 Summer Universiade in Gwangju, South Korea.
As of press time, SWU and USC were battling one another in a rematch of their epic five-game series that concluded last Sunday with the Cobras coming out on top. UV and Myongji were also playing in the games that were being held in Dalaguete.
Action shifts to Minglanilla today at 6 p.m. with the White Horse taking on the Cobras and the Warriors facing off with the Green Lancers.
UV was actually ahead by 10, 29-19, before the Cobras rallied behind their Mythical Five duo of Cesafi MVP Mark Jayven Tallo and Cameroonian Landry Sanjo, to tie the game at 29-all.
UV regained its bearings and once again zoomed off to yet another 10-point lead, 46-36, before SWU responded with triples from Jasper Parker and Anton Pardo that sparked a 14-5 rally and give the Cobras the lead for good.
Sanjo paced the Cobras with 15 markers while Tallo added 13.
Daryl Goloran, a key component in SWU’s Game 5 win over USC, had 10.
In the other game, USC’s powerhouse import Shooster Olago dazzled basketball fans and supporters alike as he poured in 39 points to help rescue the Warriors from an early 19-point deficit and come away with the victory.
The Warriors trailed, 11-30, before Olago came to life and scored 14 in the second canto to help them even the score at 38-all. They then took control of the game with an 18-7 run in the third that helped them get ahead, 56-45. But the Koreans fought back and pulled to within two, 74-76, after a three-pointer by Jueon Park, 2:49 to go in the game. But Olago proved too tough to cover and the Warriors leaned on him for production down the stretch to grab the win.