THE Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) Wildcats pulled off one of the major upsets in the ongoing Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (Cesafi) men’s basketball tournament when they defeated the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Panthers, 72-69, on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, at the Cebu Coliseum.
Aside from the USPF’s early 9-6 lead, the rejuvenated Wildcats dominated the game throughout, maintaining control despite the Panthers’ repeated rallies in the crucial stretch.
Nono Matthew Paras emerged as CIT-U’s standout player, scoring 16 points with a 63.6 percent field goal performance, despite struggling at the free-throw line where he converted only two of nine attempts.
The Wildcats took control of the game by the end of the first quarter, 19-16, and stretched their advantage to 41-35 by halftime.
They posted their biggest lead at 61-48 early in the final quarter before the Panthers tried to make a big comeback down the stretch.
The Wildcats were still up by five, 70-65, with 40 seconds left in the ballgame, but USPF’s John Jasper Lumingkit single-handedly staged a 4-0 run with an alley-oop shot, followed by a quick steal and an undergoal stab, bringing the score to 69-70 in the last 31 seconds.
Lumingkit, who drew a foul while making the shot from under the basket, had the chance to tie the game but missed the extra free throw, failing to complete the three-point play.
Paras sealed CIT-U’s first victory in two outings with a putback off Jerian Marc Abello’s missed three-pointer. The Panthers fell to 1-1.
Abello also scored in double figures with 14 points, while Romy Kirt Gonzaga piled up nine markers for the Wildcats.
Peter John Peteros collected 17 points, while Lumingkit had 14 to lead the losing Panthers.
In the high school division, University of Cebu (UC)-Main tamed sister team University of Cebu–Lapulapu Mandaue (UCLM), 66-56, to claim its fourth win in a row.
Carlo Sagarino topscored for UC-Main with 14 points, while Felix Jamael Rogasajo had 10 to lead UC-LM, which is wallowing deeper in the cellar with a 1-3 card. / JBM