A SLOW start but a solid finish.
That was the path taken by the University of Cebu (UC)-Main Webmasters as they buried the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Panthers, 77-52, in the Cesafi Season 26 men’s basketball tournament at the Cebu Coliseum on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026.
After trailing by six points, 13-19, at the end of the first quarter, the Webmasters began heating up early in the second period, unleashing an 18-6 run to seize the lead, 31-25.
From there, the Webmasters never gave the Panthers breathing room to recover, stretching their advantage to as many as 19 points, 60-41, early in the fourth quarter.
Despite the absence of leading scorer Ricofer Sordilla, four Webmasters finished in double figures.
Luther Gabriel Leonard led the way with 12 points, while Maverick Angelo Eligoyo chipped in 10 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. Juan Raphael Garro and Jepherson Nonol also scored 10 points apiece.
The victory served as a response to their heavy loss to the Benedicto College Cheetahs last week.
Ashly Howard Dennison scored 12 points, while Christian Jayvee Deiparine added 11 for the Panthers, who dropped to 1-3.
Cheetahs outrun Wildcats
Earlier, Benedicto College defeated the Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) Wildcats, 67-53.
After a tight first half, the Cheetahs, coached by BJ Murillo, found an opening in the third quarter and used it to pull away for an easy victory.
With the win, Benedicto remained the only unbeaten team in the college division and strengthened its hold on the top spot with a 4-0 record.
The Wildcats, coached by Felix “Donbel” Belano, suffered their second heavy defeat in four games.
Serge Grabinez led the Cheetahs with 20 points and six rebounds, while Junil Bulan and Kenneth Babalcon added 12 points apiece.
For CIT-U, Wayne Victor Gementiza was the lone player in double figures, finishing with 12 points and seven rebounds. / JBM