MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – The University of the East Red Warriors won their second consecutive game and improved their record to 2-1 in UAAP Season 78 following a 89-78 victory over the plummeting Adamson Soaring Falcons on Wednesday, September 16, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Up by just 3 entering the half, the Red Warriors pulled away at the end of the third period and in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. The Soaring Falcons looked like they would go on a last hurrah late thanks to a 10-0 run, but UE managed to keep them at bay.
Edison Batiller continues his rise atop league ranks with another splendid statline: 23 points, 8 assists, 6 steals, and 53% shooting from the field. Paul Varilla also played well with 14 points, 6 boards, and 3 dimes, while Clark Derige had 12 points and 10 boards.
UE head coach Derrick Pumaren had 5 other guys who scored at least 6 points each.
“We had to dig deep down for this win. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy playing Adamson,” the experienced head coach said after the win.
“That was the game plan: to make sure Adamson worked for every point; not give them easy baskets,” he later added.
The University of the East extended its lead to 17 at one point in the second half thanks to forced turnovers from the other side and easy fastbreak opportunities. Overall, Adamson threw away 25 turnovers and allowed 24 UE points in transition.
The Soaring Falcons cut the lead to 79-72 with 2:30 left, capping off the 10-0 blitz with free throws by Frederick Tungcab. But in the next two plays, Batiller hit a pull-up 15-foot jumper and then found Emil Palma for an easy basket in the paint to seal the win.
Tungcab led the now 0-3 Falcons with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals, but also had 8 turnovers. Nico Capote hit 4 3-pointers in the first quarter and finished with 15 points, while Joseph Nalos put up 14 points.
Adamson import Pape Sarr recorded 6 points and grabbed 14 boards.
“As I said, we just worked for it in the second half,” Pumaren said.
He was also complimentary of his team, who finished with 28 assists.
“Paul here,” he said about Varilla, “he’s just a silent worker. He dives for the ball. He’s the one that hustles. The dirty jobs, siya yung gumagawa non (he's the one who does them), and he can play multiple positions.”
The Red Warriors will be back in action on Saturday, September 19, against the Ateneo Blue Eagles. The Soaring Falcons will take on the DLSU Green Archers the following day.
Scores:
UE (89): Batiller 23, Varilla 14, Derige 12, Charcos 9, Yu 8, De Leon 6, Javier 6, Palma 6, Abanto 2, Gonzales 2, Manalang 1, Sta Ana 0
Adu (78): Tungcab 16, Capote 15, Nalos 14, Ng 11, Villanueva 8, Sarr 6, Ochea 4, Garcia 2, Polican 2, Bernardo 0, Escalambre 0
Quarter scores: 20-26, 44-41, 63-57, 89-78
– Rappler.com