CEBU CITY, Philippines — The University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters held off the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Panthers, 59–56, to keep their hold on first place in the Cesafi Season 25 men’s basketball standings on Friday night, November 21, at the Cebu Coliseum.
UC improved to 9–1 and stretched its winning streak to 7. USPF, meanwhile, absorbed its 8th loss in 10 outings, remaining second to the bottom.
Despite the tight finish, the Panthers spent most of the game trying to catch up. Their energy was boosted by the return of former PBA star Arwind Santos, who rejoined them on the sidelines as a guest coach.
UC opened with an 18–12 lead, but USPF trimmed it to two to start the second quarter. The Webmasters regrouped and rebuilt a six-point cushion at halftime, 32–26.
The Panthers, who have struggled all season to close out games, stayed within striking distance in the second half. They entered the final period trailing 43–40.
USPF cut it even closer early in the fourth quarter when Paul Daniell Apolonio scored to bring the deficit down to one, 43–42. But Ray Charles Libatog, Carlo Salgarino, and Danie Boy Lapiz responded with a 6–0 run that pushed UC ahead, 50–42, midway through the quarter.
The Panthers countered with a run of their own as Redjhee Recimiento and Paulo Dalumpines helped trim the gap to three, 50–47, with 4:12 left.
From there, both teams traded trips to the free-throw line. UC kept a slim lead, while USPF stayed within range behind steady foul shots.
Leonard returned to the line late and sank both attempts to give UC a 57–54 edge entering the final minute. Apolonio, who later finished as USPF’s second-leading scorer, answered quickly with a layup to cut the deficit back to one, 57–56.
But a costly foul by John Miguel Maglasang sent Leonard back to the stripe, where he split his shots, giving UC a two-point lead, 58–56. Forced to extend the game, USPF fouled again, sending Ricofer Sordilla to the line. He made one, putting UC up 59–56.
USPF had one last chance, but John Howard Taala’s desperation three-point shot missed, allowing the Webmasters to escape with the win and avoid overtime.
Sordilla led UC with 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist. Leonard added 9 points — 5 from the line — along with 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, 3 assists, and 1 steal. Libatog also had 9, while Neon Chavez chipped in 7 against his former squad.
Taburnal paced USPF with 15 points, while Apolonio contributed 11.
UC now prepares for a much-anticipated rematch with the University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers on Sunday, November 23, at 5 p.m. USPF returns to action tomorrow against the surging USJ-R Jaguars at 3:30 p.m.
READ: CESAFI: UC Baby Webmasters stun top-ranked CEC Dragons in come-from-behind win
Read Next
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.