Cobras stay alive SWU wins Game 3 by 38 pts.

CEBU, Philippines - The Southwestern University (SWU) Cobras lashed back at the University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters in style, thrashing the defending champion by 38 points, 95-57 in Game 3 of their best-of-five finals series to live and fight for another day in the 11th Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) basketball season last Thursday night at the Cebu Coliseum.

Games today

(Cebu Coliseum)

Finals, Game 4

5:15 pm UV vs. SHS-AdC (jrs.)

6:45 pm UC vs. SWU (srs.)

Still, the Webmasters lead the series, 2-1, and could wrap up the crown with a victory in tonight's Game 4.

Eleazar Armecin, who went on a scoring frenzy in the third period where he could hardly miss, paced the Cobras with 22 points, even as four others cashed in double figures.

Rene Pacquiao chalked up 19 points and 6-foot-6 Cameroonian center Justin Aboude added 15 for the Cobras, who trailed in the entire first period.

But the Cobras fought with renewed challenge in the second period, executing their plays and hitting their shots so well to grab the driver's seat halftime, 39-29. They then outscored the Webmasters in the third canto, 26-14, to post an imposing 65-38 lead heading into the final 10-minute mark of the contest.

Not contented, the Cobras of coach Raul "Yayoy" Alcoseba further buried the Cobras alive in the last quarter where they took their largest lead of 39 points, 89-50, with a little over two minutes left to play.

Bonifacio Guillena chipped in 14 points and Joseph Nalos scored 10 for the Cobras, who hope to sustain their momentum as they seek to extend the series into its full route today.

Almost everything turned sour for the Webmasters because aside from the absence of top gunner Robinson Mohammad, the likes of Edward Pao, Quinton Brian Heruela and Francis Luigi Bercede were limited to just a single digit.

Six-foot-9 behemoth Junemar Fajardo led the Webmasters with 19 points, while Jan Michael Auditor added 12 points in a losing cause.

The scores

SWU (95) - Amecin 22, Pacquiao 19, Aboude 15, Guillena 14, Nalos 10, Ortuyo 4, Arong 4, Asquejo 3, Castro 2, Pineda 2

UC (57) - Fajardo 19, Auditor 12, Pao 8, Heruela 7, Caytuna 6, Bercede 4, Aranas 1 Halftime: 39-29 (FREEMAN)