The Saint Clare (SCC) Saints and Our Lady of Fatima University (OLFU) Phoenix came out on top of a 14-team pool to meet in the finals of the 16th NAASCU Seniors’ Basketball Tournament.
It is only fitting that the early favorites meet again in the tournament’s final round for the championship. These two squads’ only meeting in the elimination round happened last September 2 at the early part of the season. In the lead up to that game, both teams were at the top of the standings with undefeated records. The matchup was fairly tight at the start but then became a struggle for Fatima as scorer Martin Gozum had to leave the action early due to an injury. The highly anticipated battle ended in a decisive victory for the Saints, led by Aris Dionisio with 18 points, as they defeat the Phoenix 71 to 54.
As the 1st and 2nd seed, SCC and OLFU secured automatic berths in the semifinals. There was a slight scare for both finalists when they stumbled a little in the final four. With the relentless Philippine Christian University (PCU) Dolphins against OLFU and the tough Lyceum of Subic Bay (LSB) Sharks versus SCC, both series needed to go the full three games before the finals matchup was set. Fatima needed overtime to defeat the Dolhpins, 91-81 in Game Three while the Saints had to play through the early ejection of Head Coach Jino Manansala against the Sharks to win 83-74.
The finals of 16th NAASCU Seniors’ Basketball Tournament will be played on October 11, 13, and 15 (if necessary) at the Makati Coliseum. The games will be aired LIVE on Basketball TV with a same-day replay on Solar Sports at 7:00PM.
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