THE University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors carved out a historic feat when they beat the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars again in three overtimes, 95-93, in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) men’s basketball at the Cebu Coliseum on Sunday, November 30, 2025.
With the win, the Warriors are now a win shy of clinching the fourth and final seat in the Top Four semis as the elimination round of the eight-team competition draws nearer to the end.
For the Jaguars, they must sweep their remaining two games -- against the University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters on Tuesday, December 2, and Benedicto College (BC) Cheetahs on Friday, December 5 -- and at the same time, hoping USC would lose to the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Panthers on Thursday.”
But in case the Warriors and the Jaguars beat separate foes in their remaining assignments, creating a simple tie, USC still has the edge in gaining a seat to the next round by virtue of the “team that beat the other” rule.
In their first meeting, the Warriors also beat the Jaguars in overtime, 74-73.
But what overshadowed the hard-earned win was the historic three overtimes in one game -- the first to happen since the birth of Cesafi 25 years ago.
Even during the days of the defunct Cebu Amateur Athletic Association (CAAA), deputy commissioner Danny Duran could not recall if there was ever a game that reached three overtimes. (JBM)