THE University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors celebrated a thrilling 79-73 overtime victory against the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars at the start of the Cebu City Inter-Collegiate Invitational basketball tournament Wednesday night, Aug. 20, 2025, at the Cebu City Sports Institute gym in Barangay Sawang Calero.
The duo of flashy point guard Kyle Maglinte and triggerman James Paolo Gica led the Warriors to their hard-earned victory, marking a promising start to their campaign in the five-day competition.
Both players finished the game with 15 points apiece, with Maglinte adding three rebounds and three assists.
Gica, who sent the game into overtime when he fired a three-point bomb to tie the game at 63-all at the end of the regulation period, also contributed five rebounds and four assists.
The game was tightly contested from start to finish, with the two teams taking turns at the lead 13 times and forged six deadlocks.
USJ-R appeared poised to snatch the win in regulation, but Gica found himself free at the three-point area and quickly sank his second triple to extend the game to an extra period.
In the five-minute extension, the Warriors outscored the Jaguars, 16-10, to secure the win.
Fritz John Gonzales led the Jaguars with 15 points, while Sam Melicor and Jan Vince Oringo also contributed 12 and 11 points, respectively.
The Warriors of coach Paul Joven will face another difficult task as they take on the Manila-based University of Perpetual Help System Dalta Altas in their next assignment.