FIVE games. Five long waits.
The University of the Philippines Cebu (UPC) Fighting Maroons finally broke through, weathering a stubborn University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu/Mandaue (UCLM) Webmasters side to post a 66-59 victory in the Cesafi Season 26 men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, at the Cebu Coliseum.
It was UPC’s first win in five outings, but it did not come easy. The teams battled almost blow-for-blow for more than three quarters, with the lead changing hands 11 times and the game tied three times.
UCLM held a 20-16 lead after the opening period before UPC trimmed the deficit to one, 35-34, at halftime.
The Fighting Maroons then exploded in the third quarter, turning the game around and taking a 54-44 lead into the final frame.
UCLM threatened to rally with 4:44 remaining, but Philip Brandon Sainz buried a three-pointer to keep UPC ahead, 59-51. The Fighting Maroons stayed composed from there to secure their long-awaited victory.
AJ delos Reyes led UPC with 19 points, while Kenneth Fuller and Raul Gilbuena added nine apiece. Dan Mitchell Ferraren paced UCLM with 14 points, while Kyle Dela Torre had nine and Javier Palco eight.
The victory snapped UPC’s four-game losing skid and improved its record to 1-4. UCLM, meanwhile, fell to 1-6.
In the high school division, the Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) Junior Wildcats survived a late University of the Visayas (UV) Baby Lancers rally for a 65-60 victory.
Theo Santiago and Mark Geraldez led CIT-U with 11 points each, while Florence Cawit added 10. Liam Terrence Chua and Llyco Ventura scored 10 apiece for UV.
The Junior Wildcats improved to 4-1, while the Baby Lancers dropped to 1-2. / JBM