UAAP: Adamson pulls off miraculous OT win to stun UST

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

What in the world just happened?

Down by eight points in the final 32.2 seconds of regulation, the Adamson University Soaring Falcons already looked dead in the water, with fans who flocked from San Marcelino starting to head to the exits due to the insurmountable deficit they had to overcome in a very short window.

However, a shocking sequence of events happened in the blink of an eye after Adamson defied the odds while unleashing their superb clutch DNA, bagging a come-from-behind 97-96 OT win over the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers in the ongoing UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament on Oct. 29, 2025, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

To bag the stellar win, the Soaring Falcons had to survive eight feet of deep water in the remaining 32.2 seconds after Gelo Crisostomo converted a huge three-pointer that extended UST’s cushion to 88-80.

When everyone had already counted out Adamson, there were some who believed that they could get out of the chokehold—and those were the tensed members on the bench and the coaching staff headed by Nash Racela.

Monty Montebon kicked off their comeback after knocking down a massive three-pointer that got them to within four points, 88-84.

The Growling Tigers had a sigh of relief when they split their pair of charities on the next possession for a five-point lead, 89-84, but Ray Allen Torres lifted Adamson’s spirits when he cashed in two crucial free throws to pull the Soaring Falcons within three, 89-86.

Adamson then bagged the biggest defensive stop of the game when a quick double team from Cedrick Manzano and Torres resulted in a Kyle Paranada turnover, giving the Soaring Falcons one last chance to tie the game and force overtime with only eight seconds left.

Everything just went into slow motion.

Three gallops after the steal, an extra kick-out pass to the wide-open Montebon completed Adamson’s insane comeback, as the looping trey deadlocked the game at 89-all en route to the extension period.

Oozing with confidence after replicating what the Indiana Pacers mastered as the NBA comeback kings, the Soaring Falcons put the icing on the cake when Matty Erolon sank the game-winning triple to cap off Adamson’s improbable performance.

Trailing by a deuce with 10 seconds remaining in OT, Montebon threw an on-point chest pass to Erolon, who was racing down to the right elbow.

With little resistance from the disoriented UST fast break defense, Erolon swished the cold-blooded trifecta plus a foul, as Nic Cabañero carelessly gobbled his landing space.

Despite Erolon missing the free throw, his late OT heroics were still enough to help Adamson steal the win after UST failed to score on their final offensive possession.

“We’re developing grit,” said Adamson head coach Racela after the win for the ages.

“I huddled the team after, I thanked them for not giving up. It’s good that our players played for each other.”

Torres spearheaded Adamson’s balanced attack with 20 points, while Montebon, who sucked the life out of UST in the final 30 seconds of the fourth, chipped in 19 markers and seven assists.

The gutsy victory kept Adamson’s Final Four hopes alive with a 5-4 win-loss record, while UST, which kicked off Season 88 on a high note, now sits beside the Soaring Falcons with an identical slate.