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MANILA, Philippines—St. Clare eked out an 81-79 win over University of the East Tuesday to get a boost early in the Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL) Metro Manila Qualifiers at the San Juan Arena.
A go-ahead basket from guard Jeff Viernes with 25.9 seconds left propelled the National Athletic Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (Naascu) champs past a hardluck Warriors.
Dennis Santos split his free throws with 9.1 seconds left, but it was enough for the Saints to hold on to en route to the win on day one of the qualifiers.
Viernes exploded with a game-best 23 points while Marte Gil added 22 points for St. Clare, which was the only squad not from the UAAP or NCAA to win so far.
Roi Sumang had 19 points for the Warriors—who are fresh off a stint in Taiwan—but could not buy a basket in the fourth even after countless tries.
University of the East, despite finishing 7th in the UAAP, was included in the line-up of competing schools after Far Eastern University begged off from the tournament.
Meanwhile, Jose Rizal University trumped Universities and Colleges of Luzon Athletic Association (Uclaa) winner St. Francis, 86-63, in the other game.
Byron Villarias poured the bulk of output in the third quarter to finish with 25 points, while Romnick Mendoza scored 17 points.
The Bombers, who failed to enter the final four of the NCAA, got a huge headstart off their 31-point first quarter over St. Francis.
The top two squads to emerge in the three-day qualifiers will get a ticket to the Sweet 16 phase of the nationwide tournament.