The Adamson Soaring Falcons held off a late rally from the UE Red Warriors to notch a 71-64 win in the UAAP Season 89 Men’s Basketball Tournament at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Adamson’s win is its third of the season and comes on the heels of an 85-66 loss to the NU Bulldogs.
Adamson Dominates Early, Sputters in Third
Adamson dominated the first half and went into the break up by 22 points, 54-32. UE held the Soaring Falcons to just three points in the third quarter to cut the deficit to eight, 57-49, entering the final period. Adamson answered with six quick points early in the fourth to go back up by 14, 63-49, and then held off UE’s comeback attempt.
“We weren’t really surprised with how UE played in the second half because I always remind my players that UE is also due for a win. They’ve been playing a lot better the last three games… So I’m really challenging our players to do a lot better,” said Adamson head coach Nash Racela.
“I think we played really, really soft in the third… Wala, umatras na lang ako. I didn’t coach them in the fourth quarter. Alam naman nila ‘yung dapat gawin, and they responded positively,” he added.
Falcons Step Up in Win
Ray Allen Torres led Adamson with 17 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. Precious Jonah added 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block. Matt Erolon finished the game with 12 points, all in the first half, and Earl Medina contributed 11 points on 3-of-3 shooting from three-point range.
For UE, sophomore Tope Lagat led the way with 22 points and 4 rebounds.
Adamson will next face the UP Fighting Maroons on Wednesday, October 14, 5:30 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. Meanwhile, UE will close out its first-round campaign also against the Fighting Maroons on Saturday, October 17, 2:30 p.m. at the Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila.
