IN an exciting battle of unbeaten teams, the University of San Carlos Warriors defeated 10-time champion University of Visayas Green Lancers, 79-69, Saturday night in the 2015 Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. Basketball tournament at the Cebu Coliseum.
USC was anchored by prolific scorers in import Shooster Olago and Ian Tagapan and rebounding demon Charles Pepito. They proved to be the key players in the Warriors’ fifth straight win, while handing the Green Lancers their first loss of the season.
The Warriors started off aggressively and raced to a 12-2 lead, while the Green Lancers groped to find their shooting touch.
UV rallied behind Alfred Codilla, who scored 11 points to bring the Green Lancers within one point at 16-17, with just under three-and-a-half minutes remaining in the first quarter, but the Warriors kept their poise and led, 23-20, at the end of the first period.
Another big 14-4 run helped the USC Warriors establish a double-digit lead at the start of the 2nd quarter, but the Green Lancers clawed back with a 13-2 charge to end the first half with the Warriors ahead by a mere two points, 39-37.
Both teams waxed hot during the first half, with USC shooting 47 percent from the field while UV shot 54 percent.