Warriors, Wildcats gain Sweet 16

MANILA, Philippines - University of San Carlos and Iloilo University secured the final two spots of the 2010 Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL) Sweet 16 after scoring contrasting triumphs at the end of the Visayas-Mindanao Zonals Tuesday at the Cebu Coliseum.

The Warriors, the CESAFI fourth placers, came back from an early nine-point deficit to outlast Mindanao champion Agro Industrial Foundation College, 83-81, in overtime and end their Vis-Min Zonals campaign with perfect 3-0 slate.

Sam Hermosa led San Carlos with 25 points. The Sailors’ Clemente Ruiz fired a game-high 30 points but missed a potential game-winning triple at the overtime buzzer.

While the Warriors had a tough time, the Wildcats, on the other hand, had an easier assignment, stunning CESAFI third placer Southwestern University with an 83-67 rout to gain a berth in the knockout phase.

It was actually just the first and only win for the Wildcats in the Zonals, forging a three-way tie with the Cobras and Sailors with 1-2 win-loss cards. But they eventually advanced owing to the best quotient among the three squads.

San Carlos will face CESAFI runner-up University of Visayas, while the Wildcats battle the champion University of Cebu in the Sweet 16 starting today.