Monday, September 20, 2004
USP Panthers stretched before escaping with 71-63 win over Warriors
By KARLA I. PANER
Sun.Star Correspondent
THE University of Southern Philippines registered its fourth straight win yesterday, 71-63, to end its elimination round campaign but not without a fight from underdog University of San Carlos, which surprisingly led by as much as 12 points in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. basketball at the USC Gym.
While the Baby Warriors made up for the Senior team’s debacle as they continued their surprise performance by containing the University of San Jose-Recoletos Baby Jaguars, 64-60, in another nail-biting game to share the No.2 spot with University of the Visayas.
In other high school games, Cebu Institute of Technology made an easy 120-63 bashing of the Cebu Eastern College Dragons with CIT’s Gleemar Sapanta scoring a tournament-high 50 points, while Leonhardt John Cabahug’s 24 points anchored the Baby Lancers’ 85-74 win over USP.
The Warriors’ small and spunky point guard, Vernini Tangarorang, who made the winning shot in the game against University of Cebu, scattered 17 points including two consecutive triples in the second quarter that put USC in the lead, 28-36, at the half.
Assured of a spot in the semis, the Panthers, showing signs of fatigue after a tough game against UC Saturday, regrouped to unleash a 12-0 run in the third quarter sparked by Arletroy Mercader’s 3-point bomb tying the game at 44-all, and eventually ended the period with USC barely ahead at 47-48.
Full-court press
With Glenn Vincent Pendang and high-leaping Aries Gloria draining the crucial baskets in the payoff period and their full-court press cuffing the Warriors, USP finally stole the lead.
But the Warriors, who would have boosted their semis bid with the win, retaliated with Lloyd Sugian’s four consecutive points to get as close as 59-64 in the last three minutes of the ballgame.
USC further cut the lead to four with less than two minutes remaining but it made costly turnovers that USP converted to points to seal the game.
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(Juniors) USC (64) – Arriesgado 14, Gallarde 13, Flanco 9, Palos 7, Jaducana 6, Lao 6, Te 5, Bercede 4, Alforque 2. USJ-R (60) – Importante 18, Villahermosa 11, Rosales 7, Bibera 6, Macasero 6, Imai 6, Deiparine 5, Caparros 2, Abatayo 2.
(Juniors) CIT (120) – Sapanta 50, dela Cerna 24, Abia 19, Diaz 6, Rebaño 5, Blanes 4, Alvarez 4, Labasala 3, Dimaapi 3, Abonitalla 2. CEC (63) – Uy 17, Cisneros 17, Po 10, Zabala 9, Angcay 8, Yap 4, Alegado 4.
(Seniors) USP (71) – Pendang 16, Gloria 13, Labares 10, Mercader 8, Sereño 7, Colonio 5, Travero 4, Cumba 4, Latonio 2, Sumalo 2. USC (63) – Tangarorang 17, Sugian 9, Deiparine 8, Loyolo 8, Ramirez 6, Igao 6.
(September 20, 2004 issue)
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