RUBBER MATCH

UV’s Steve Akomo rises for a one-handed shot over Shooster Olago of USC in Game 4 of the Cesafi men’s basketball tournament best-of-five finals yesterday at the Cebu Coliseum (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)

In the annals of the University of the Visayas’ (UV) proud basketball lore, it is often said that the Visayanians fight best when their backs are against the wall. This held true in Game Four as the

Green Lancers sent the Cesafi best-of-five championship series to a winner-take-all Game Five with a thrilling 60-52 win over the University of San Carlos (USC)  Warriors, yesterday at the Cebu Coliseum.

With their chances grim after trailing 22-30 at halftime, Cameroonian big man Steve Akomo carried the torch for UV up high and scored 14 points, pulled down 16 rebounds and blocked two shots, all while anchoring the stifling defense that frustrated his USC counterpart Shooster Olago, who ended up with just seven points on three-of-nine shooting from the field.

After playing listless basketball in the first half leading to an eight-point deficit at the turn, the Green Lancers came out of the dugout looking like a different squad and uncorked an 11-0 blast behind Jun Manzo who scored six in that sizzling stretch that saw UV surging ahead, 33-30.

But the Warriors were determined to end their 15-year title drought in this league and regained their bearings to seize the lead back, 44-41.

UV however, was relentless and started the fourth much like the third, this time with a 13-0 run sparked by a driving lay-in by one-time Batang Gilas Leonard Santillan and a booming triple by

Alfred Codilla. Disaster also struck for USC as Olago was called for his fourth foul with 8:32 to go.

This opened the lane for Akomo who quickly took advantage by scoring two straight buckets – punctuated by a thunderous one-handed slam.

Santillan added a transition lay-up and a left-handed scoop shot to give the Green Lancers a 54-44 lead with 5:34 left.

Arong, a veteran guard, finished with 11 while Santillan, who missed the first two games of the series due to an ankle injury, added 10. Manzo, the spitfire guard who came into Game Four averaging 22 points per game, finished with just seven.

UV head coach Gary Cortes said that the threat of a practice the next day had they lost was enough to get his boys to spring back into action.

“I just told them that if we lost today, we were practicing tomorrow,” said Cortes with a sly smile.

He turned serious not long after and bared that he just instructed his boys to keep their heads up in spite of the halftime deficit and continue on with their gameplan.

“I just told to continue limiting (Shooster) Olago and (Ian) Tagapan. I also told them to continue to aggressively close out on their shooters who were making their shots in the first half.”

Rabat and Pepito each had 11 to lead the Warriors, which for the second straight year, will be going to a winner-take-all Game Five.