CEBU, Philippines - The University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers representing Team Philippines bowed out of the 27th Summer Universiade in Kazan, Russia without a win in five games but they will surely go home rich with experience playing against top-caliber squads in what is considered as the 'Olympics' of the best university athletes all over the world.
Heading into the tournament, the Haier and Du Ek Sam-sponsored Green Lancers already found themselves stuck against a hard rock as they are bracketed with two-time defending champion Serbia, Romania, Mexico, Japan and Mongolia.
But as their team manager Samsam Gullas aptly said on the eve of their departure, the Lancers are there not much on winning, but on representing the country well and gaining a one-of-a-kind exposure that could be useful to them as they gear up for the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) Season 13 set to take off on August 3 at the Cebu Coliseum.
In Kazan, the Green Lancers were beaten to the pulp by Romania right in their very first game, 106-58. Still wobbling from that defeat, they got crushed anew by basketball power Serbia, 125-44. So intimidated the Lancers were by their taller and bigger European rivals that they committed a total of 67 turnovers in their first two games.
Ranged against fellow Asian squads, the Green Lancers still couldn't weave one magic. They were easily dismantled by the Japanese side, 93-51, and in the closest game they've gone through, the Cebuano cagers started strong only to fall in the end at the hands of the Mongolians, 79-92.
The Green Lancers were close to scoring that breakthough win for Phl in the biennial tournament when they pulled within just five points, 74-79, with 4:045 left to play against Mongolia, but Bilguun Battuvshin played the spoiler's role by churning out six straight points in an 8-0 run that extiguished UV's hopes.
It was Mexico, however, who dealt the final blow on the Green Lancers via a 72-point blowout, 139-67. UV's Vincent Mendoza broke the ice of the match, but the Mexicans replied with a 12-0 blast to set the stage for a lopsided match. (FREEMAN)