THE University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors survived a late rally by the University of the Philippines (UP)-Cebu Fighting Maroons and secured a 67–62 victory in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (Cesafi) men’s basketball tournament at the Cebu Coliseum on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025.
The hard-earned win kept coach Paul Joven’s USC squad alive in the race for a Final Four spot.
USC currently sits in fifth place with a 6–5 record, closely trailing the University of San Jose–Recoletos (USJ-R), which holds a 6-4 card in fourth.
Though it will be a tall order for USC, coach Joven remains optimistic that the Warriors can force a knockout match against the USJ-R Jaguars for the last semifinal slot.
The Warriors still have three games left in the elimination round. They will face the league-leading University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters (9–2) on Thursday, Nov. 27; USJ-R on Sunday, Nov. 30; and the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Panthers on Dec. 4.
In their first meeting last Oct. 18, USC defeated USJ-R 74-73 after James Paulo Gica hit a buzzer-beater with 0.5 seconds left in overtime.
UP-Cebu put up a solid challenge against the Warriors and even held a 57–50 lead with 6:39 remaining after Kent Joshua Cabanlit completed two free throws.
However, the 13–3 run ignited by Gica, Kyle Maglinte, Reil Einer Aureo, and Rey James Enriquez changed the momentum of the game.
Enriquez drilled in a three-point shot and followed it with a layup to give USC a 63–60 lead with only 49 seconds left.
UP-Cebu stayed within striking distance after a jump shot by AJ Delos Reyes cut the deficit to 62-63, but the combined efforts of Enriquez and Maglinte in the closing stretch sealed the victory for San Carlos.
Gica delivered 18 points, built on six three-pointers, and grabbed four rebounds, while Maglinte and Enriquez contributed 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Aureo also played a key role, pulling down 11 rebounds in addition to his seven points.
For UP-Cebu (1–10), AJ Reyes led with 13 points, while Cabanlit added 11 and Jayboy Manaloto chipped in 10.
In the high school division, the University of Cebu (UC) Baby Webmasters defeated the Don Bosco Technology College (DBTC) Greywolves, 89–79, in overtime.
The Baby Webmasters improved their record to 4–3, while the Greywolves fell to 1–7.