Despite a late rally in the fourth quarter, the tenacious defense of the FEU Tamaraws proved to be too much for the Adamson Soaring Falcons, as they absorbed a 73-66 loss on Wednesday, October 28, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Team captain Mathew Montebon was held to one of the worst performances of his collegiate career, tallying only 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists on a brutal 1-for-12 clip from the field.
The senior guard admitted that the FEU defense left him unable to find the hot hand throughout the entire match but still remains confident enough to take big shots regardless of his misses.
“They played good defense. I like the looks I got, a couple of them felt good coming out of my hand, but you know, that’s basketball, some shots just don’t fall,” Montebon told Rebanse. “Today just wasn’t my day. It doesn’t change anything for me. I’m still confident, I’ll still let it fly. I trust the work that I put in,” he added.
Montebon and Adamson Look to Rewatch Film
With the San Marcelino-based squad now holding a 4-5 record in the UAAP Season 89 Men’s Basketball Tournament, Montebon called for more effort from the Falcons as they look to get out of a two-game slump.
“Obviously you have to go back to the film and watch, but just off this game, I think we have to sustain our effort levels from the first quarter all the way to the fourth,” Montebon said.
The on-court facilitator also rued Adamson’s habit of only increasing its pace during the latter halves of games and underscored the importance of sustaining its aggression through all four quarters.
“I think we put ourselves in a hole a bit, and then that’s when we really start fighting [and] getting stops. We have to start doing that early in the game and consistently do it. Give it your all, once you get tired, get a stop, stuff like that,” the 6-foot guard said.
Montebon and the Soaring Falcons will look to return to the win column when they face the league-leading UP Fighting Maroons on Wednesday, November 4, at the same venue.
