UV survives late scare, narrowly edge Cheetahs

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers survived a furious late rally by the Benedicto College (BC) Cheetahs to pull off a nail-biting 79-77 victory in the Cebu City Collegiate Invitational on Friday, August 7, 2026, at the City Sports Institute Gym in Sawang Calero, Cebu City.

The win gave the Green Lancers a winning start to their campaign at 1-0, while the Cheetahs slipped to 0-2.

AJ Sacayan spearheaded UV’s attack with 16 points, highlighted by four three-pointers, to earn Best Player of the Game honors. Raul Gentallan added 14 points, while Paul John Bautista chipped in 10.

The Green Lancers appeared headed for a comfortable victory after taking control early. They built a 25-19 lead after the first quarter before stretching the advantage to 49-32 at halftime.

Benedicto College, however, refused to back down. Powered by Den Ric Orgong’s game-high 26 points, the Cheetahs methodically erased the deficit in the second half, trimming the gap to 62-59 before repeatedly drawing level. The last tie came at 77-77 in the closing seconds.

With 12 seconds remaining, Gentallan calmly buried two clutch free throws to put UV back on top for good.

Benedicto still had an opportunity to steal the win or send the game into overtime, but missed its final shots.

Serge Gabinez finished with 12 points for the Cheetahs, while Kenneth Babaloon and Jesli dela Cruz contributed 10 points each.

The Green Lancers will look to make it two straight wins when they face the University of the East in tonight’s main game.

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