Hawks NAASCU champs

Rookie Bobby Gutierrez played his best game of the year as the University of Manila Hawks pulled off a smashing 108-89 victory over University of Makati to retain the title in the National Athletic Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (NAASCU) basketball tournament before a big crowd the other day at the Makati Coliseum.

Gutierrez, a 6-0 find from Bicol, exploded with a game-high 32 points, including six three-point shots, in a brilliant performance that enabled the Hawks to wrap up their second straight title with another sweep of the tournament.

The Hawks also earned the right to represent NAASCU to the prestigious Colleges and Universities Basketball Challenge Cup (CUBCC), a 16-school tournament being organized by former national team coach Joe Lipa exclusively for collegiate champions of various leagues.

"I’m very happy. This is another major accomplishment for UM," said coach Loreto Tolentino, who also piloted the Hawks to the title in the inaugural tournament of this newly-established league with an 11-game sweep last year.

"The boys really played very well. They did not lose their composure even when the Wizards made a run for it," added Tolentino.