Earl Abadam experienced both the highs and lows of basketball heartbreak in the final seconds as De La Salle University fell 60-61 to Adamson University in the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament, Wednesday afternoon at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
With La Salle trailing and time running out, Jacob Cortez drained a floater. Then Abadam seized the moment, stealing the ball from Matty Erolon and calmly sinking a crucial three-pointer that cut Adamson’s lead to just one with 28.5 seconds left.
Moments later, Abadam had another chance from the same spot, with the same rhythm. But this time the responsibility was even greater: a shot that could have turned the game around completely.
The ball, however, didn’t fall. Abadam finished with five points on 2-of-12 shooting, including 1-of-8 from beyond the arc, turning a potential story of redemption into heartbreak.
“I just wanted to win. No game plan there in the dying seconds, we just wanted to win, and that play I thought was the best way,” Abadam told Tiebreaker Times.
“I saw that we were able to get a stop in the last possession of Adamson. I knew that we did not have much time — we were only down by one — and as soon as I got the ball, I was in the same spot that I made my previous three-pointer, and I had no hesitation. It did not just go in.”
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Despite the sting of a third straight loss, which dropped the Green Archers to an even 6-6 win-loss slate, Abadam received reassurance from head coach Topex Robinson and team captain Mike Phillips after the game.
The Westfield Sport High School product is ready to turn those words of encouragement into fuel ahead of a grueling two-game stretch against defending champion University of the Philippines and Ateneo de Manila University — matches that could determine La Salle’s Final Four fate.
“They said good shot. Good shot. I knew that I just made a big shot, and coach [Topex] just said that I just made that three-pointer, you can take it again. It just did not go in,” the 21-year-old forward revealed.
“It’s not over. We know that we have two more games to play against really tough teams. This is not the end. We know that we still have a chance to make the Final Four, we just have to learn and go back and review and come back prepared.”
Acknowledging room for improvement — not just for himself but for the entire roster — Abadam emphasized the importance of sticking together in a season-defining stretch that could determine La Salle’s path toward reclaiming the throne it lost in Season 87.
“It’s just coming down to the preparation. A lot of us, we know that this season for some of us will come to a close soon, so we know that we’re gonna have to stick together,” he said.
“It’s not just dependent on me, it’s dependent on the whole team.”
