Doves clinch Asian U title

Yancy de Ocampo towered way above the rest yesterday as St. Francis of Assisi came from behind to beat Chinese-Taipei University, 82-72, and clinch the second Asian Universities Basketball Championship crown before a highly-supportive hometown crowd at the Rizal Coliseum.

The 6-foot-8 De Ocampo shook off a slight fever on the eve of the championship game as he went on a scoring spree in the final half. He scored 21 straight points bridging the third and fourth quarters with his final basket – a surprise triple from the left wing – giving the Doves the lead, 73-70, with 3:29 left.

After De Ocampo cooled off, the rest of his teammates took over in a bristling 9-2 windup with Al Vergara drilling in four straight points, Rudy Espino nailing another triple, and Lyndon Abian pegging the final count with a layup in the final 45 seconds.

It was a rousing victory for the Las Piñas-based Doves, who trailed by as many as 10 points in the second quarter, 27-37. The title was another feather to the St. Francis hat, counting their victories in the NCRAA and the National Intercollegiate this year, and the Bacolod University Games last year.

"I never thought I could play this well because of a fever last night. But I felt the need when the challenge came," said the left-handed De Ocampo, one of the finest amateurs in the land today who finished with 23 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and two shot blocks.

Chinese-Taipei, behind the heads-up play of pint-sized quarterback Chien Ming Fu, was in full control of the game and enjoyed a 61-54 lead until De Ocampo started his scoring binge. He scored the Doves’ final eight points in the third quarter and the first 13 in the fourth, most of them coming from underneath.

In the battle for third place, College of St. Benilde, the reigning NCAA champion, blew an 18-point in the first half and relied on the breaks down the stretch to post a 62-57 victory over the Beijing Industrial College. University of Manila, winner of the inaugural staging of the event in 1998, finished fifth followed by FEU.