THE Benedicto College (BC) Cheetahs survived a furious late rally by the Cebu Institute of Technology–University (CIT-U) Wildcats to pull off a 70–68 victory in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) men’s basketball tournament at the Cebu Coliseum on Monday, Dec. 1, 2025.
The win keeps the Cheetahs (10–2) in contention for one of the top two spots, which would grant them a twice-to-beat advantage in the semifinals.
They will next face the defending champions University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers (11–2), on Wednesday, Dec. 3, in a crucial matchup for the coveted semifinal advantage.
The University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters (11–2), on the other hand, are currently shooting for the first semifinals berth as of press time Tuesday against the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R).
Benedicto previously stunned UV with a 76–65 upset during the first round of the eliminations on Oct. 26.
If Benedicto manages to defeat UV again, the Cheetahs will automatically secure the second twice-to-beat advantage. But if they lose, their fate will depend on the outcome of their final game against the University of San Jose–Recoletos.
Should UV and Benedicto end up tied in the standings, the Olympic quotient system will determine which team earns the twice-to-beat edge.
Coach BJ Murillo’s Cheetahs seemed headed for an easy victory when they built a 14-point lead, 67–53, with 2:55 left in the fourth quarter.
However, a sudden 15–3 run by the Wildcats, fueled by consecutive three-pointers from Serafin Duarte, Regie Ayon, and Jerian Marc Abello, cut the lead to just one, 69–68, with 43 seconds remaining.
That turned out to be CIT-U’s last push as time ran out on their comeback attempt. Nichol Cabanero split his two free throws to seal the win for Benedicto.
Kenneth Babalcon paced the Cheetahs with 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
/ JBM