Hawks claim NAASCU top spot

MANILA, Philippines - Defending champion University of Manila demolished newcomer Trace College-Los Baños, 88-65, to clinch the top spot at the end of the first round of the eliminations in the 11th NAASCU men’s basketball tournament at the UM gym.   

Handled by coach Jojo Castillo and consultant Rex Manansala, the Hawks drew double-digit scores from Jay-Ar Manuel and four other players, to overwhelm the Stallions and register their seventh straight win after dropping their opening-day assignment.

Manuel finished with 11 points and 14 rebounds for the Zycare Pharma-supported Hawks of Atty. Ernesto de los Santos.    

Last year’s   MVP/ROY awardee Eugene Torres, Jeff Alvin Viernes, Jerry Ancheta and Salvador Guti-Ay contributed 10 points apiece for UM.

Rheggienald Boyles carried the fight for the Stallions with 23 points.

Trace, the newest member of the league, remained winless in eight games.

Equally impressive was Our Lady of Fatima University, which outgunned St. Clare College-Caloocan City, 84-65, to improve its record to 5-3 card, behind UM, STI, Centro Escolar University and Informatics.