UV gives La Salle Greenhills a scare before bowing down

CEBU, Philippines — The University of the Visayas SBP team nearly pulled off a huge upset, bowing to three-peat champion La Salle Greenhills, 50-53, on opening day of the national finals of the 33rd SBP Passerelle twin tournament backed by Milo at the University of the Assumption in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga.

La Salle Greenhills took an 18-13 lead after one quarter before UV bounced back to take a 29-22 halftime lead, smelling an opportunity to score an upset over the four-peat seeking defending national champions.

The Greenies recovered in the third quarter to take a 40-38 going into the payoff period. With momentum on their side, LSGH went on an 11-3 run for a 51-41 lead in the fourth quarter.

But UV never gave up, countering with a 9-0 run behind Marc Abangan and Kent Clark Castro to cut the deficit to only one, 51-50, with 1:07 left in the game.

After a defensive stop, UV had an opportunity for a game-winner but was guilty of a five-second inbound violation with 17 seconds left.

LSGH’s big men Bryan Hachuela and Andre Minas dominated the paint with 13 points each. Jan Mark Toring led UV with ten.

In Passerelle division games, Corpus Christi School of Cagayan de Oro, eked out an 81-75 win over St. Robert’s International Academy of Iloilo. Pre-tourney favorite National University crushed International School for Better Beginnings (ISBB), 104-47. In the other SBP game, Corpus Christi downed ISBB, 59-39.

The national finals of the 33rd SBP Passerelle Twin Tournament backed by Milo is the finale of the nationwide tournament featuring the regional champions of Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao and Metro Manila. Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas Executive Director Sonny Barrios was the guest at the opening ceremony.