USJ-R, UC fight for last semis ticket in Cesafi men’s basketball

Games today
Cebu Coliseum
2:00 p.m. – UC vs USJ-R (Srs.)
3:30 p.m. – SWU vs UV (Srs.)

THE LAST ticket to the semifinal round will be up for grabs today as the University of San Jose-Recoletos Jaguars and the University of Cebu Webmasters battle it out in the 15th Cesafi men’s basketball tournament today at the Cebu Coliseum.

Gametime is set at 2 p.m. with the Jaguars and the Webmasters locked in a battle that will determine who will take fourth place and advance to the round-robin semifinals on Tuesday. USJ-R currently has the inside track on the fourth seed after they notched their fifth win against six losses with an 88-81 victory over the University of Southern Philippines Foundation Panthers last Tuesday.

But the Webmasters are raring to complicate matters even after losing to the University of San Carlos Warriors, 73-87, to drop to 4-7. A win today by UC will forge a three-way tie between USJ-R, UC and the Cebu Institute of Technology-University who finished their elimination round stint with a 5-7 card. In the event that a three-way tie ensues, the tie will be broken using the quotient system.

But that’s not all the Cesafi has in store today as the second game, set at 3:30 p.m., will see the second round match-up between rivals University of the Visayas Green Lancers and the reigning titleholder, Southwestern University Cobras.

UV is seeking a win that will give them the same record as USC, which ended the elimination round with a 10-2 record. Should USC and UV end up tied, the Green Lancers will take the top seed while the Warriors will settle for second.

The Green Lancers are aiming for a repeat of their 57-48 victory over the Cobras in the first round, a win that was made possible by their focused defense on SWU’s two-time MVP, Mac Tallo, who managed just seven points in that match.