The defending champions University of the Visayas (UV) Baby Lancers grabbed their third win in a row after beating the University of San Carlos (USC) Baby Warriors, 59-42, in the elimination round of the CloudFone Batang PBA Cebu leg yesterday at the Magis Eagles Arena inside the Ateneo de Cebu campus in Canduman, Mandaue City.
At 3-0, UV is already assured of a spot in the semifinals.
The Baby Lancers flexed their muscles early and raced off to a 17-4 lead after the first. It ballooned to 36-17 at halftime as the boys in green and white cruised to victory and got all their players playing time.
Royce Alforque punched in 14 points to lead the way while Osias Padilla added 11 markers.
The win was a fitting follow-up to their 86-76 conquest of the Abellana National School in a game late Saturday afternoon.
Padilla had 16 while Froiland Maglasang and Joshua Canoy pitched in 14 each.
Briedyn Smith, the former USC big man, had a whopping 34 in the loss.
USC, which fell to 1-2 in this tournament, got 11 each from Steven Mendoza and Clint Octaviano.
In the second game, the much-improved Don Bosco Technical College Inc. hacked out a 70-61 win over the University of Southern Philippines Foundation for its first victory in this competition.
Sporting a reinvigorated spirit brought about by new players and a revitalized coaching staff, the Greywolves are starting to make noise headed to the new season of the Cesafi.
Christian Boyboy, Don Bosco’s prized recruit from Bohol, scored 27 points.
Gabriel Cometa and Winston Ynot had 20 each but it was not enough to keep the Baby Panthers from suffering their third loss in a row.
The top four teams at the end of the single round-robin elimination round will advance to the crossover Final Four.
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