Just like Ateneo de Cebu, University of the Visayas falls short in Milo Best tournament
The University of the Visayas (UV) came up short in their bid to annex the Visayas crown as they lost to Ateneo de Iloilo in the finals, 35-42, in the Small Basketeers of the Philippines (SBP) division of the Milo-backed Best Tournament on Sunday at the University of St. La Salle gym in Bacolod City.
The sorry result means that Cebu will not have a representative in the Milo national finals, which will be held in Baguio City next month.
Earlier, Passerelle-bet Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu was also booted out. The Magis Eagles finished with just a bronze medal after beating College of St. John from Roxas City, 65-23, in the battle for third place. Sun Yat Sen defeated Bacolod’s Tay Tung, 71-58, to win the Passerelle championship and book their spot to the nationals.
SHOW OF UNITY
UV’s youngsters, who all shaved their heads bald as a show of unity, trailed all the way but were within striking distance, 21-24, heading to the final canto. But Ateneo de Iloilo slowly pulled away with a bucket by Ian Espinosa and a triple by John Vicencio pushing their lead to eight, 29-21. They eventually claimed a 10-point lead, 35-25, after back-to-back baskets by Espinosa.
UV responded with a three-point barrage capped by one from Christian Alilin that trimmed the deficit to just four, 35-39, with 23 seconds to go. But that was the closest UV got as Vicencio sealed the win with two free throws.
Vicencio proved to be UV’s biggest headache as he torched them for 18 points, 11 coming in a torrid third-period shooting spree. Espinosa added 10 for Ateneo de Iloilo.
Alilin paced UV with 10 markers. The boys in green and white, though, did not go home empty-handed as they claimed the Sportsmanship Award, a prestigious honor in the long-tenured grassroots-based basketball competition.