THE NATIONAL University Bulldogs look to be the prohibitive favorites heading to the UAAP season after they beat the La Salle Green Archers, 64-54, to capture the championship in the 2012 Filoil Flying V Preseason Hanes Cup yesterday at the Arena in San Juan City.
Reigning MVP, Bobby Ray Parks, the son of one of the country’s most prolific imports in the PBA, Bobby Parks, had 19 points on 7-of-19 shooting and had four rebounds, two assists, two steals in 33 minutes to lead the way for the Bulldogs.
More importantly, he led an uprising near the end of the first half that gave them the lead, 28-26, after being down, 18-26. From then on, Parks clicked from the outside as he hit a long jumper and a three-pointer that put NU on top, 44-41, heading to the final canto.
Parks’ outside shooting was so infectious that Emmanuel Mbe, NU’s import from Cameroon, scored on a trey from the elbow that gave them a 50-43 lead. Later, another three-point bomb from Parks sealed the win and the title for NU.
Earlier, Cebuano center, Greg Slaughter, formerly of the University of the Visayas, helped give Ateneo the third-place trophy as he scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to tow them to a 66-55 win over San Beda.
Slaughter had 12 of the Blue Eagles’ 17 markers in the fourth canto. The win avenged an elimination round defeat by the Eagles to the Red Lions, 63-61. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio