The young Falcons are not satisfied with just a Final Four berth.
The Final Four-bound Adamson University Soaring Falcons hammered the National University Bulldogs, 77-53, and extended their winning streak to four games, Sunday evening at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
With the win, the Soaring Falcons are just a game behind the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles for the second seed. The Bulldogs end their campaign with a 5-9 slate — the worst record the team has tallied since coach Eric Altamirano handled the team.
“We needed that win. Like what I mentioned, we’re aiming to at least get a tie and get a shot at gaining that twice-to-beat advantage,” said first year Adamson head coach Franz Pumaren. “So the scenario right now, we just have to beat Ateneo and we would create some sort of a tie.”
Papi Sarr posted a monster double-double with 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting to go along with 15 rebounds. Filipino-American rookie Jonathan Espeleta added 15 points on an efficient 6-of-7 clip.
After a close first quarter, the Falcons clamped down on defense, limiting the Bulldogs to just six second quarter points.
On the other end, big man Sarr and rookie Espeleta bullied the porous interior defense of their opponents. The two combined for 16 points during the second frame to give Adamson a 35-19 edge entering the break.
A strong final quarter outing by the Falcons, spearheaded by sophomore JD Tungcab’s nine markers, helped Adamson gain the biggest lead of the game, 75-35, with two minutes left in the game.
“Well that’s what I’ve been stressing, guys coming off the bench, guys sitting on the bench, when the time comes that you’ll be playing, might as well make the most out of it,” Pumaren remarked. “If you’ll recall, when the season started, Tungcab was the starter, then he went down to the third group but he worked his way up again.”
Adamson shot a superior 52 percent from the field compared to a horrible 29 percent clip for National U. Moreover, the Soaring Falcons scored 36 points in the paint.
Jay Alejandro was the only Bulldog to put up double-figures in scoring, finishing the game with 15 points but going just 3-of-16 from the field. King Bulldog Alfred Aroga finished his UAAP career with a line of nine points, three blocks, and 12 rebounds.
The Adamson Soaring Falcons (8-5) look to force a tie for the second seed as they face the Ateneo Blue Eagles (9-4) on Wednesday, November 16 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Scores:
ADU (77) – Sarr 22, Espeleta 15, Tungcab 9, Manalang 8, Manganti 6, Ahanmisi 5, Paranada 5, Mustre 3, Camacho 2, Bernardo 2, Ochea 0, Pasturan 0, Ng 0, Chua 0.
NU (53) – Alejandro 15, Aroga 9, Salem 8, Yu 6, Diputado R 5, Mosqueda 3, Morido 2, Salim 2, Rangel 2, Abatayo 1, Diputado C 0.
Quarterscores: 14-13, 35-19, 56-40, 77-53.
