On his birthday no less, Zavier Lucero took charge as University of the Philippines dug deep and outlasted the upset-seeking Adamson University 73-71 in the UAAP Season 84 Men’s Basketball Tournament, Tuesday, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Up 63-62 thanks to three straight points from rookie big man Carl Tamayo, UP finally got a wide separation from Adamson with 1:29 left in the ball game. Lucero’s basket and Ricci Rivero’s three increased the Fighting Maroons’ lead to 73-66.
Adamson’s Didat Hanapi and Joshua Yerro then made things interesting. The two cut UP’s lead to 71-73 courtesy of five unanswered points. That forced Fighting Maroons mentor Goldwin Monteverde to call a timeout with 31.4 seconds remaining in the ballgame.
Off a timeout, Rivero then missed a three, which allowed the Soaring Falcons to have the final possession. However, Jerom Lastimosa’s three missed the target as UP held on.
“A win is a win. But you know after this game, definitely we need to work on yung sa defense namin,” said Monteverde. “Maraming lapses a while go. I think going over sa next game namin, we need to look on yung part sa laro namin, yung defense.”
Lucero led UP with 20 points along with five rebounds and four assists. He was followed by Malick Diouf’s 16 points and 15 rebounds and Carl Tamayo’s 11 points. Rivero also contributed 10 points to the Fighting Maroons’ cause.
UP’s starters overwhelmed their Adamsonian counterparts with 46 points over 18 points. On the other hand, the Soaring Falcons’ bench mob produced 53 points to the Fighting Maroons’ 27. UP’s defense forced Adamson to commit 16 turnovers, which were then converted to 19 points.
“We need to really prepare especially sa press nila,” added Monteverde on his team’s next game, which will be against host school De La Salle University. “We cannot go on Thursday with the same defensive intensity that we have now – we really need to work on it to be ready for a team like La Salle.”
Lastimosa led Adamson today with 28 points, followed by Lenda Douanga’s 16 points and 14 rebounds. Keith Zaldivar contributed 14 points to the Soaring Falcons’ cause.
Both schools continue their campaigns on Thursday still at the SM MOA Arena. University of the Philippines (4-1) takes on La Salle at 10:00 AM. Meanwhile, Adamson University (1-4) goes up against Far Eastern University at 7:00 PM.
The Scores:
UP 73 – Lucero 20, Diouf 16, Tamayo 11, Rivero 10, Cansino 9, Cagulangan 3, Spencer 2, Abadiano 2, Fortea 0, Alarcon 0, Catapusan 0.
Adamson 71 – Lastimosa 18, Douanga 16, Zaldivar 14, Colonia 4, Magbuhos 4, Manzano 4, Hanapi 3, Sabandal 3, Jaymalin 3, Yerro 2, Barasi 0, Erolon 0.
Quarterscores: 13-22, 39-39, 55-53, 73-71.
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