Altas, Chiefs trounce Martin Cup rivals

MANILA, Philippines - University of Perpetual Help-A Altas and Arellano University drew big games from Earl Thompson and John Pinto to hurdle their respective rivals in the ninth Fr. Martin Cup Collegiate Open basketball tournament last Sunday.

 Thompson fired 16 points for the Altas, who started off their Group A campaign by upsetting the defending champion San Beda Red Lions, 64-56, at the Trinity University of Asia gymnasium in Quezon City.

Pinto, meanwhile, hit 18 points for the Chiefs, who stopped the Informatics Icons, 79-64, to notch their second victory in three games also in Group A.

The Chiefs thus bounced back from theri sorry 79-80 setback to the Adamson Falcons last Friday.

In the lone Group B encounter, Kenneth Ighalo scored 12 points for the Mapua Cardinals, who blasted University of Perpetual Help-B, 75-43.

  The Altas and the Chiefs are behind the Letran Knights, who pace the field with two straight wins.

Fourteen varsity squads are seeing action in the three-month long cagefest with the top four finishers in each group advancing to the quarterfinals, according to tournament director Robert de la Rosa.