UV moves on, USJ-R falters in Visayas Islands qualifying of PCCL hoops
The University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers took care of business while the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars did not as the two Cebu squads competing in the Visayas Islands qualifying tournament of the 2015 Philippine Collegiate Champions League took separate paths on Tuesday night at the Superdome in Ormoc.
The Green Lancers, the runners-up of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) this year, hardly broke a sweat in disposing of the Mindanao champions, the Holy Trinity College Wildcats from General Santos City, as they won via a rout, 98-75.
Sweet-shooting swingman Josue Segumpan torched the Wildcats’ defense with 20 points capped by six three-point bombs while Jun Manzo added 14 markers for the squad of head coach Gary Cortes.
Afterwards, Cortes said that should the Lancers continue to keep playing their brand of basketball, they will do just fine moving forward in this competition that pits the very best collegiate squads from across the country against another.
Louie Omalde led the Wildcats with 26 points while Joseph Diamante pitched in 13 markers.
NO SISTERLY LOVE
The victory placed UV in the Visayas Islands championship game against the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos (UNO-R) Rams, who shocked the Jaguars, 76-71.
Unfazed by their sister team from the big city, the Rams came out firing on all cylinders and raced off to a 39-22 halftime lead. At the helm of the early breakaway were Kim Bryan Dimaranan, John Lorenz Toral and Stefano Ayuco.
Recognizing their folly, the Jaguars perked up and came roaring back to tie the game for the last time at 71-all after a free throw by new recruit, Jayson Hanginan.
But UNO-R was unfazed and surged ahead, 73-71, after freebies from Toral and Coleen Testa. Jafet Claridad then sank a dagger twinner while Testa added another free throw to seal the huge victory.
Dimaranan led the Rams’ balanced effort with 11 markers.
The Rams and the Lancers were still duking out in the Visayas Islands title game as of this writing.
The winner of that match will advance to the Elite Eight of the tournament where Far Eastern University, Letran, the University of Santo Tomas, San Beda and Cesafi champion University of San Carlos already await.