UNIVERSITY of San Jose-Recoletos erased a 16-point deficit in less than four minutes, beating Cebu Institute of Technology-University, 81-76, on Thursday at the USJ-R gym to reach the semifinals of the 13th Cesafi men’s basketball tournament.
The Jaguars found themselves in a 45-61 hole after consecutive baskets by rookie Joshua de la Cerna with under seven minutes left in the game. But USJ-R persevered and uncorked a 21-4 run capped by a floater by veteran forward Miguel Tabaloc that gave them back the lead, 66-65, with 3:01 remaining.
Tabaloc finished with 21 points and seven rebounds, James Regalado added 17 points, Rendell Senining scored 13, and rookie Fletcher Galvez chipped in 11.
A three-pointer by Christian Parker, a fastbreak lay-up by Regalado and a corner trey by Rendell Senining gave the Jaguars a 74-69 lead, with 1:25 on the clock.
CIT-U made one last run, tying the game at 76, but a Tabaloc three-point play made it 79-76 with 13.2 seconds left.
De la Cerna led the Wildcats with 26 points and 12 rebounds.
USJ-R joins defending champion Southwestern University in the semifinals.
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