13 October 2019
CEBU CITY—Minus two key players, the University of San Carlos (USC) played inspired basketball and dropped the upset axe on the three-time defending champions University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers, 71-62, on Sunday, October 13, in the college division of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (CESAFI) Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Cebu Coliseum.
Magic Marata led the gigantic win by dropping seven three-pointers and went on to finish with 27 points.
Playing without the suspended Froilan Mangubat and Kenneth Brillo, the Warriors were all business from the get go and shocked the UV squad when they mounted a huge 20-point lead, 66-46.
Showing what a many-time champion is made of, UV staged a daring fightback and closed the gap at 60-66 with only 1:08 left.
Marata rose to the occasion, saving the Warriors from what could have been a huge meltdown by canning a booming a triple.
Marata capped his heroics by dropping two free throws after an empty UV possession, sealing the Warriors’ sixth win in nine games.
Jancork Cabahug scored 10 markers for the Green Lancers, who absorbed their second defeat in eight outings.
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Photo courtesy of Cesafi Media Bureau