UV Lancers rout USC

HERNAL “Wowie” Escocio had his first breakout game as the University of the Visayas (UV) rookie was just one rebound shy of a double-double to lead the Green Lancers to an emphatic 98-76 bashing of the University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors in the main game of the 2012 Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) College Basketball tournament held at the Cebu Coliseum last night.

In the high school games, the UV Baby Lancers saw another stellar game from reigning MVP Andres Paul Desiderio, who dropped 31 points to lead the defending champions to an 83-72 win over the Cebu Eastern College Dragons.

Jun Kent Manzo III contributed 19 points for UV’s fourth straight win while Edmundo Bayhonan topscored with 22 points as the Dragons suffered its second loss in four games.

Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu Magis Eagles , on the other hand, picked their fourth straight victory after an 86-62 rout of the University of Cebu Baby Webmasters, and the Cebu Institute of Technology-University dumped the University of San Jose
Recoletos, 103-66.

In the college game, USC had the Lancers on the ropes in the opening quarter, engaging the taller and bigger opponents in a hefty exchange of baskets to trail by one, 22-21, after the first 10 miutes.

But things started to get worse for coach Julian Macoy’s boys when UV dropped a 20-4 blitz to widen a 31-28 gap to 51-32 at the end of the first half.

Then Escocio took charge in the second half, scoring 17 of his 21 points to lead UV to its fourth win. He also added nine rebounds, an assist, two steals and one block, while Cameroonian Steve Cedrick Akomo fired 12 points on top of eight rebounds, two
steals, two assists and five blocks.

Nilton John Otida topscored for USC with 21 and Stephen Que added 17.