By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Adamson Soaring Falcons are slowly getting their pieces together after dealing the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons an upset, 66-58, in the ongoing UAAP Season 84 men’s basketball tournament.
With their heartbreaking 71-73 loss against UP during the first round still fresh on their minds, head coach Nash Racela and the Soaring Falcons bounced back and retaliated against the no. 2 team in the tournament while breaking their eight-game winning streak.
Adamson immediately went off to the races after building a quick double-digit lead, 12-1, and was bound for another great performance just like in their game against the National University Bulldogs in their last win.
The onslaught continued in the second quarter as the Soaring Falcons built their largest lead to 17 courtesy of their efficient shooting from the field and excellent shot selection.
However, Ricci Rivero and Carl Tamayo suddenly caught fire and helped the Fighting Maroons get back within striking distance in the third quarter while cutting Adamson’s lead to single digits.
With the game on the line and UP needing a bucket, Rivero sank two shots from the charity stripe to trim Adamson’s lead to just two points, 59-57, with 36 seconds left in the game.
Superstar scorer Jerom Lastimosa then took matters into his own hands and buried the dagger three-pointer to extend their lead to five, 62-57, that sealed the deal for the Soaring Falcons.
The win recorded Adamson’s third-straight win of the tournament starting with their momentum-boosting win against FEU and another one from NU.
“Nakakatuwa lang kasi I think our players deserve that. Mabigat pinagdaanan nila but I think this was really good timing for wins,” said Adamson head coach Racela.
Adamson was led by Lastimosa who fired 13 points, backstopped by Didat Hanapi and Joem Sabandal who chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively.
