Jerom Lastimosa took charge for Adamson once again as the Soaring Falcons exacted revenge on University of the Philippines by snapping its eight-game winning streak with a 66-58 upset victory in the UAAP Season 84 Men’s Basketball Tournament, Thursday afternoon, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Last April 2, coach Nash Racela’s squad was dealt with a 71-73 heartbreak loss in their first-round encounter against the Fighting Maroons. This time around, the champion mentor made sure that his team would get the last laugh in the rematch.
With 36.8 seconds remaining, Ricci Rivero went 2-of-2 from the line to trim Adamson’s once-14 point lead down to two points. Jerom Lastimosa answered back and nailed a clutch three-pointer to give his team a 62-57 advantage with 23.3 seconds left.
Excellent defense allowed the Falcons to dodge a bullet from UP’s attack but Tricky Peromingan was called for a technical foul due to unsportsmanlike behavior (touching a game official). Keith Zaldivar knocked down two crucial free throws to stretch Adamson’s lead to six with 17.9 seconds on the clock. Lastimosa put the finishing touches on the game after making both of his free throw attempts as well.
“I was observing the other team nung kumakanta sila nung school hymn and in my mind, mag-isa ako doon parang wow. Puro nalang ako wow doon sa kabilang side because we were able to beat a powerhouse team,” Racela shared.
Lastimosa spearheaded the Falcons with 13 points, five rebounds, and four assists. He also made an impact on the defensive end with two blocks and a steal in close to 22:30 minutes of action.
Didat Hanapi and Joem Sabandal chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively, with the latter also grabbing five rebounds and dishing out five assists.
Cedrick Manzano also did his part, grabbing 11 rebounds to go with eight points.
“Nakakatuwa lang kasi I think our players deserve that. Mabigat pinagdaanan nila but I think this was really good timing for wins,” added Racela.
The Soaring Falcons had a strong start, racing to a 12-1 lead. Their lead stretched to as much as 17 points.
However, Goldwin Monteverde’s squad was able to rally back and get within striking distance in the third quarter.
Adamson’s starters did most of the damage in this game as they outscored their counterparts, 50-43. The Soaring Falcons also had a slight advantage in terms of bench production after scoring 16 markers as compared to the Fighting Maroons’ 15.
Ricci Rivero led UP with 14 points on 5-of-16 shooting, five rebounds, two steals, and an assist while Carl Tamayo got 12 points and eight rebounds. Malick Diouf got seven points and 10 rebounds as well but he and Tamayo combined to shoot just 6-of-17 from the stripe.
For the second straight game, Zavier Lucero was limited to single digits, finishing with just seven points on 2-of-9 shooting from the field.
Both schools shall next play on Saturday at the SM MOA Arena. Adamson (4-6) faces University of Santo Tomas (3-7) at 10:00 AM while University of the Philippines (8-2) takes on De La Salle University (6-3) at 4:00 PM.
The Scores:
Adamson 66 – Lastimosa 13, Hanapi 12, Sabandal 11, Manzano 8, Zaldivar 8, Magbuhos 6, Peromingan 5, Colonia 2, Yerro 1, Douanga 0, Jaymalin 0, Erolon 0, Barasi 0.
UP 58 – Rivero 14, Tamayo 12, Diouf 7, Lucero 7, Cagulangan 6, Cansino 5, Spencer 4, Webb 3, Alarcon 0, Abadiano 0, Fortea 0.
Quarterscores: 20-12, 36-28, 47-44, 66-58.
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