THE 2026 Bulacao-Talisay Sinulog Cup inter-collegiate basketball tournament started in exciting fashion on Monday, Feb. 2, at the Bulacao Sports Complex.
Fans saw two close games as defending champion Benedicto College (BC) Cheetahs and the University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters both earned hard-fought wins.
The BC Cheetahs defeated the reigning CESAFI champions, the University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers, 78-72, in an overtime battle.
BC was leading by double digits in the third quarter, but UV fought back. AJ Sacayan sparked the comeback by making two straight three-point shots.
Near the end of regulation, UV’s Christian Alilin hit a big three-pointer to tie the game at 69-69 and send it to overtime.
In the extra five minutes, the Cheetahs stepped up. Led by coach BJ Murillo, BC went on a 9-3 scoring run to secure the win and show they are ready to defend their title.
In the earlier game, the UC Webmasters edged the University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors, 76-72.
With assistant coach Calib Gawangon guiding the team, UC controlled the game’s tempo for most of the match.
USC made a late push, with Kyle Maglinte and James Paolo Gica hitting important shots to keep the game close.
However, when USC tried to take the lead, Ricofer Sordilla made a clutch three-pointer that helped seal the win for UC. / JBM