DEFENDING champion St. Clare College of Caloocan is back on top.

St. Clare pulled off a hard-fought 51-48 victory over Our Lady of Fatima University in the much-awaited battle of top seeds in the NAASCU Season 22 basketball tournament at the Victoria Sports Tower in Quezon City.

Drick Acosta led the charge for the Saints, of coach Jino Manansala as he finished with 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting and four rebounds in 27 minutes of action.

JB Lim added 10 points and three rebounds, Ahron Estacio contributed eight and Babacar Ndong had seven for the Saints, who secured the top spot at the end of the elimination round with 8-1 win-loss record.

Mamadou Toure carried the fight for the Phoenix with a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds in 36 minutes for coach Ralph Rivera.

Ace Rusell Tiamzon and Charles Tecson each scored nine points, and Andrei Romero and Edward Labayen contributed eight points apiece.

The Phoenix actually mounted a spirited comeback, cutting a 17-point deficit by outscoring the Saints, 20-8, in the fourth quarter.

But Acosta nailed two free throws with only six seconds left to extend the lead to three and the Phoenix missed a chance to force overtime when Toure’s three-point attempt missed.

Sharing the limelight were Philippine Christian University (PCU), which outsteadied New Era University, 77-71, and University of Makati, which defeated AMA University and Colleges, 85-83.

The Manila-based Dolphins of coach Biboy Simon, improved to 7-2 thanks to Dan Gelo Pascua’s stellar performance.

Pascua tallied 32 points on 13-of-20 shooting and grabbed five rebounds in 36 minutes.

Christian Austria added 13 points and eight assists,and Llonel Failon recorded a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Toritseju Adams led New Era’s effort with 16 points and nine rebounds, followed by Aldrick David with 11 points, and Tristan Tolentino with nine.

The Hunters dropped to 6-3.

John Nelo Santos and Yhano Lacsarum combined for 42 points to lead UMak over AMA.

Santos recorded 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting and six rebounds in 26 minutes, while Lacsarum also had 21 points, along with eight rebounds and seven assists.

Despite the win, UMak was eliminated from contention due to an inferior quotient.

The Hardy Herons needed to win by at least 19 points or more to advance to the quarterfinals.

Thirds Del Rosario delivered 21 points, including five three-pointers, in just 16 minutes of play for the Kings.

Earl Ceniz (18 points, 14 rebounds),Reed Baclig (18 points, 11 assists), and Christian Camay (13 points, 14 rebounds) all had double-doubles.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Robert Andaya