University of the East crept into striking distance, but Austin Ronzone and rookie Earl Medina delivered the biggest shots when it mattered most, helping the Adamson University Soaring Falcons escape with a hard-fought 56-53 victory over a winless and undermanned Red Warriors squad in the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament, Saturday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
Fresh off back-to-back wins over the same Red Warriors and the second-ranked University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers to close the first round, the Soaring Falcons carried their momentum into the next phase to secure their third consecutive triumph.
Clutch plays by Ronzone and Medina proved decisive, allowing Adamson to claim a share of fifth place with the struggling Ateneo Blue Eagles, both holding identical 4-4 win-loss records.
Adamson battled an undermanned UE side, as sharpshooting guard Wello Lingolingo served the second game of a three-game suspension, while head coach Chris Gavina also missed the contest after serving the second of a four-game suspension.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
“We should be happy kung nasaan kami, only because hindi pa kami patay. Buhay pa and our head is above water, ‘yon lang naman yung gusto mo ‘eh na you just want to have a chance to move forward. Today was not that nice, buti na lang nakakuha kami ng panalo,” Soaring Falcons head coach Nash Racela said.
Adamson hopes to get back on track as it guns for a fourth straight win against UST at 2 p.m. The Falcons beat the Growling Tigers, 69-59, in the first round.
In a tense, low-scoring payoff period, UE went on a 7-2 run — highlighted by two free throws from team captain John Abate and a putback by DJ Robles off a Toper Lagat miss — to grab a 50-49 lead with 2:55 remaining, marking the Red Warriors’ first and only lead of the game.
But Adamson responded when it mattered most.
Ronzone nailed a clutch right-corner triple, followed by a midrange jumper from Medina, restoring a 54-50 cushion with 1:42 left.
UE still had a chance to pull off the upset, but Abate turned the ball over with less than a minute on the clock and missed a top-of-the-key three-pointer that could have cut the deficit to one with 15.9 seconds remaining.
Matty Erolon iced the game with two clutch free throws, extending UE’s losing streak to 14 straight games dating back to the second round of Season 87.
“Masyado kami malayo when you talk about offense ‘eh. Yung average nga namin is probably down to 60 [points] again but the next team is averaging 70 points. Dapat hindi kami makuntento at dapat talaga mag-improve kami. We are still working on it at sana hindi pa huli at sana naglalaro pa kami when we see that improvement,” Racela added.
Manzano finished with a double-double, posting 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting and 10 rebounds, along with three assists, two blocks, and one steal, while Manu Anabo contributed eight points, eight rebounds, four assists, and one steal.
AJ Fransman added seven points, seven rebounds, and three assists, while Erolon chipped in seven points and one rebound.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
For UE, Abate led the way with 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals, and one block, while Nigerian center Precious Momowei tallied 15 points and 14 rebounds, adding two steals, two blocks, and one assist.
Meanwhile, UE looks to break through against De La Salle University at 4:30 p.m.
The Scores:
AdU (56) – Manzano 11, Anabo 8, Fransman 7, Erolon 7, Torres 5, Medina 5, A. Ronzone 3, Ojarikre 3, Cañete 3, Montebon 2, Demisana 2, C. Ronzone 0, Perez 0, Jaymalin 0, Barcelona 0, Tumaneng 0.
UE (53) – Abate 16, Momowei 15, Caoile 6, Lagat 6, Robles 4, Despi 2, Tañedo 2, Cabero 2, Rosete 0, Datumalim 0, Mulingtapang 0, Cruz-Dumont 0.
Quarterscores: 21-17, 36-28, 47-43, 56-53.
