The Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers did not let up, blasting the Adamson University Soaring Falcons, 67-56, to advance to the semifinals of the 2017 Filoil Flying V Premier Cup, Wednesday afternoon in San Juan City.
This is JRU’s second time to enter the semifinals of the Premier Cup, and the first under Coach Meneses’ supervision.
“Siguro, kami nanalo dahil sa good start namin. Umpisa palang ng game naging aggressive na kami especially sa defense,” said top scorer Teytey Teodoro.
Teodoro unstoppable as he scored 23 points, knocking down five triples, to go along with five rebounds.
“Dalawa lang naman nakaka-stop sa kanya [Teytey Teodoro], siya at ako,” JRU head coach Vergel Meneses shared. “Saan man siya makakarating, iyon ang papupuntahan ng JRU. I’m not putting pressure sa kanya pero dapat isipin niya yun.”
The Heavy Bombers controlled the pace of the game as early as the first half, finishing it with a 13 point lead, 40-27, thanks to their tight defense and reliable shooters.
JRU continued their rampage in the second half tallying the biggest lead at 16 in the third quarter, 46-30. However, in the fourth quarter, Adamson pulled off a 12-3 run, credits to Papi Sarr, Jerrick Ahanmisi and Jerie Pingoy’s shots. They came within five points, 54-59, with less than two minutes left, but Teodoro stunted Adamson’s momentum, connecting on a dagger triple.
“Nag-design ako ng play para yung momentum nila [Adamson] medyo bumaba. Big shot, big shot by Teytey,” Meneses furthered..
Aside from Teytey, Ervin Grospe also chipped in 16 points and eight rebounds.
Coach Meneses is positive that with the level of play they are executing now, they can make it big to the upcoming NCAA Season 93.
“If we will play the same way kanina, we can play in the Final Four [in NCAA]. ‘Pag nakikita ko ang ganun sa NCAA, I know we’ll go places. Everybody’s [the players] talking,” the PBA legend shared. “Ngayon ko lang nakita yun eh. You have to talk inside, communicate.”
Adamson’s Sarr and Ahanmisi’s 19 and 15 points respectively, with the foreign student-athlete grabbing 18 rebounds as well.
JRU will enter the semifinals on Friday, June 23. They will take on the winner of the San Beda-UP quarterfinals clash. – By: Danine Cruz
The Scores:
JRU (67) – Teodoro 23, Grospe 16, Mendoza 9, Lasquety 6, Dela Virgen 5, Poutouoch 2, Mate 2, Abdulwahab 2, Sawat 2.
ADU (56) – Sarr 19, Ahanmisi 15, Manganti 11, Pingoy 9, Zaldivar 2, Manalang 0, Mustre 0, Camacho 0, Espeleta 0, Ochea 0.
Quarterscores: 23-11, 40-27, 53-38, 67-56.
