Adamson remains on inside track for final postseason berth

c/o UAAP Media Team

Games on Sunday at the Filoil Ecooil Centre

8 a.m. - DLSZ vs Ateneo (girls’)
10 a.m. - UE vs FEU (boys’)
12 p.m. - UST vs AdU (boys’)
2 p.m. - DLSZ vs Ateneo (boys’)
4 p.m. - UPIS vs NU (boys’)

MARK Esperanza and Earl Medina delivered in the clutch, leading title holder Adamson University to a 70-66 victory over Far Eastern University-Diliman to further solidify its hold on fourth place in the UAAP Season 87 Boys’ Basketball Tournament on Thursday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

With just two game days remaining in the elimination round, the Baby Falcons took a firm grasp of the fourth spot, strengthening their bid for a Final Four berth.

The Baby Falcons tallied their third straight win to improve to 7-5, further separating themselves from the De La Salle Zobel Junior Archers and the University of the East Junior Warriors with a three-game cushion.

With the victory, Adamson also forced a do-or-die match between DLSZ and UE is taking place as of publishing. The losing team between the Junior Warriors and the Junior Archers will be officially eliminated from contention for the last Final Four spot.

“We’re looking at our own backyard ‘eh. Kung ano yung kaya namin i-control, doon kami, which is our games. At least, yes, may cushion na kami, whoever wins sa UE and Zobel, magkakaroon kami ng two game cushion, ‘eh may two games pa natititra. So we can not relax,” Baby Falcons head coach Mike Fermin said.

Adamson had built a 59-50 cushion with 8:43 left in the fourth quarter, but FEU-D responded with a 12-3 run to knot the match at 62-all with 3:15 remaining.

Two straight layups from CJ Umali and Sanir Sajili allowed the Baby Falcons to regain a four-point, 66-62 advantage, but a reverse layup and a baseline jumper from MVP frontrunner Cabs Cabonilas forced a 66-all tie with 54 seconds left.

Adamson showcased its championship poise down the stretch as a pull-up jumper from Esperanza, followed by an alley-oop conversion by Medina, gave the Baby Falcons a 70-66 cushion all but to secure the much-needed victory.

“It’s a big win for us. Sabi ko nga sa kanila, the last three games, they should treat it as a championship game. There’s no more tomorrow. May game plan kami laging sinusunod at iniiba every game because we’re being scouted, hats off sa players kasi they were able to execute it,” Fermin added.

Esperanza powered Adamson with 19 points, six assists, and four rebounds, while Medina tallied 18 points (14 points in the first half) with eight rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and one steal.

Six-foot-six center Allen Perez tallied 10 points, three assists, two rebounds, and one steal but committed five turnovers, while Umali chipped in seven points, six assists, and four rebounds.

The loss, meanwhile, put an end to the Baby Tamaraws’ three-game streak as they fell to an 8-4 card to remain at third place. They are now two games behind the second-placed University of Santo Tomas Tiger Cubs (9-2), who are set to face the winless UPIS Fighting Maroons at 4 p.m. to end the day’s five-game slate.

Despite shooting 9-of-20 from the field, Cabonilas still tallied a double-double in the losing effort with 19 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, three steals, and two blocks. Mico Pascual, meanwhile, contributed 14 points, two blocks, one rebound, and one assist.

Marc Burgos tallied nine points, seven rebounds, three assists, and one block, while Liam Salangsang also scored nine points with six rebounds, two assists, and one steal.

In the other game, National University Nazareth School remained undefeated through 12 games after stifling also-ran Ateneo de Manila University with a 87-71 victory.

Gunning for their first elimination sweep since Season 82 in 2019, NUNS, which has already clinched the playoff incentive, will prepare to face UPIS and UST in its final elimination games.

“We played bad noong first half ‘eh. We look at it positively, pero at least may two games pa kami to redeem ourselves kasi yung identity namin, talagang sa depensa ‘eh. At least, ngayon, natututo kami at nagising kami na malayo pa rin kami. Hindi pa rin kami totally satisfied hangga’t makuha namin yung goal namin,” Bullpups head coach Kevin de Castro said.

Behind Chris Urbina, Alfonso Tan, and Lans Lagdamen, Ateneo trimmed the deficit to three in the third quarter, 55-52, but Roje Matias, Chad Cartel, and Best FSA frontrunner Collins Akowe propelled NUNS to a 66-58 advantage heading into the payoff period.

The Blue Eagles remained within striking distance as an Urbina triple cut the lead to 74-66 with 6:32 left, but Akowe, Migs Palanca, and Mac Alfanta took turns to expand the lead to 81-66 and axe their 12th straight victory.

Akowe tallied his 12th double-double in as many games with 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting with 17 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks, while Mac Alfanta tallied 16 points, four assists, and one rebound.

Palanca contributed 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting with eight rebounds, two assists, one block, and one steal, while Jid Locsin chipped in six points, six assists, four rebounds, and one steal.

Ateneo, on the other hand, fell to its second consecutive defeat to remain at seventh place in the eight-team field with a 2-10 card.

Urbina tallied 19 points, four assists, two rebounds, and one steal in the loss while Tan provided 17 points, three rebounds, and three assists.

Jay-M Leal was limited to nine points on 3-of-10 shooting but still tallied three rebounds, two steals, and one assist, while Ziv Espinas chipped in five points and eight rebounds.

The Scores:

Second Game (Boys)

AdU (70) - Esperanza 19, Medina 18, Perez 10, Umali 7, Sajili 6, Decatoria 4, Murillo 2, De Jesus 2, Tumaneng 2.

FEU-D (66) - Cabonilas 19, Pascual 14, Burgos 9, Salangsang 9, Esperanza 5, Raneses 3, Godoy 3, Gemao 2, Hall 2, De Guzman 0, Castillejos 0, Santos 0.

Quarterscores: 24-22, 36-37, 55-50, 70-66.

Third Game (Boys)

NUNS (87) - Akowe 29, Alfanta 16, Palanca 15, Locsin 6, Naitnga 6, Cartel 5, Matias 5, Napa 3, Figueroa 2, Solomon 0, Nepacena 0, Usop 0.

Ateneo (71) - Urbina 19, Tan 17, Leal 9, Lagdamen 7, Espinas 5, Lacsamana 4, Gatmaitan 3, Asistio 3, Delos Santos 2, Kallos 2, Ymasa 0, Reyes 0, Trinidad 0.

Quarterscores: 28-16, 46-41, 66-58, 87-71.