The defending champions Southwestern University (SWU) Cobras dug deep to outlast the University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers, 64-52, in Game One of the best-of-five championship series of the Cesafi men’s basketball tournament before a raucous crowd at the Cebu Coliseum yesterday.
With their most productive player of the night Daryl Goloran and top import Landry Sanjo fouling out one after another late in the game, the Cobras turned to the crucial makes of Bernie Bregondo, Monbert Arong and Mark Jayven Tallo to log the win and take a step closer towards a second straight title.
SWU’s golden boy Mark Jayven Tallo played out of rhythm most of the game when ranged against the physical defense of UV but luckily had Goloran—a reserve forward—step up to lead the team with 13 points and eight rebounds.
Sanjo finished with 10 points, 14 boards and four blocked shots while Arong added nine points and five rebounds.
Tallo gave up the ball eight times but made up for it with eight points, six rebounds and seven assists, including two straight drop passes in the dying seconds to Arong and Fabrice Siewe that led to buckets which doused UV’s comeback attempts.
“We really had to solve the double-teams that they were throwing at (Mark Jayven) Tallo,” said SWU coach Yayoy Alcoseba. “At first, he kept on forcing the issue but I told him to stay at it and find the open man. Fortunately for us, he did it in the end.”
The Cobras’ fluid offense was subdued by the deliberate pace of the Lancers early on but the former was still able to find ways to score and take a 49-39 lead to the final canto. UV persevered behind the surprise performance of Miko Marquez, who sparked a 13-5 run that got them within five, 54-49.
Compounding the woes of the Cobras were the disqualification of Goloran at the 3:47 mark and Sanjo with 2:13 remaining.
Mike Nzuesseu and Wowie Escosio had 12 apiece for UV while Marquez wound up with 10.
In the first game, the University of San Carlos (USC) Baby Warriors took a 1-0 lead in their best-of-three series for third place with an 82-72 win over the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Baby Jaguars.
Game Two of the both series will be played tomorrow at the same venue.