MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Adamson University had enough fuel in the tank to stave off a University of the East comeback, 74-71, in the men's basketball tournament of UAAP Season 78 on Saturday, November 7 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Soaring Falcons blew a 64-44 third quarter lead they built with a 16-0 burst coming off halftime, allowing the Red Warriors to climb back to within a single possession, 72-71, with under 30 seconds to go.
But UE, which exploded for a 20-3 blitz since Adamson's 20-point lead, failed to convert the potential game-winning possession as Edgar Charcos missed on the drive and struggling rookie guard Bonbon Batiller fouled out with 15.7 ticks left.
Joseph Nalos knocked down the critical free throws off of Batiller's foul for the final tally as the last-place Falcons notched only its third win of the season in 13 games.
"It's a good morale-booster for us," Adamson coach Mike Fermin said.
Cameroonian center Papi Sarr posted 22 points and 20 rebounds, while Frederick Tungcab had 14 markers and 6 boards for the Falcons, which collectively tallied 27 turnovers but shot 40% from the field.
Nalos, who kept the window of opportunity open for UE with his 9th miscue of the game with under 30 seconds remaining, wound up with 11 points, including 7-of-8 from the free throw line, and collared 5 rebounds to go with 5 assists.
Clark Derige led all UE scorers with 17 points and shot 3-for-13 from 3-point range to go with 10 rebounds. Emil Palma added 11 markers, 8 boards, and two steals as UE, which shot just 15% from the field in a horrible third quarter, fell to 4-8.
Chris Javier scored 6 of his total 9 points in the fourth and added 8 rebounds and two blocks. Batiller remains in a slump following a breakout performance to start the season as he had just 3 points on one-of-13 field goal shooting in over 22 minutes of play.
Scores:
Adamson (74): Sarr 22, Tungcab 14, Nalos 11, Garcia 7, Escalambre 5, Ochea 5, Polican 5, Capote 3, Margallo 2, Bernardo 0, Fernandez 0, Villanueva 0.
UE (71): Derige 17, Palma 11, Charcos 9, Javier 9, Varilla J. 8, Abanto 4, De Leon 4, Yu 4, Batiller 3, Sta. Ana 2, Gagate 0, Manalang 0, Penuela 0, Varilla P. 0.
Quarter scores: 24-19, 48-44, 65-54, 74-71. – Rappler.com