Adamson University pulled off an 80-66 win over University of Santo Tomas to advance to the Finals of the UAAP Season 86 high school boys basketball tournament Wednesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
Vince Reyes logged a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds and had two steals and two blocks, Mark Esperanza had 12 points and eight assists while Justine Garcia was also solid for the Baby Falcons with 11 points, six assists, and four steals.
Adamson coach Mike Fermin wanted his troops to address its first half problems in the championship round.
“Parang naulit yung game namin against NU, nanggigigil noong first half. Sabl ko, hindi naman nating kailangang talunin ng first half because it is a 40-minute game or extra,” said Fermin after the San Marcelino-based squad reached the Finals for the second straight year.
“Constant reminders ko sa kanila, stay within the game plan. Noong second half nagising naman sila kaya hats off again sa mga players,” he added.
It was the Tiger Cubs who dealt their only loss of the season and Reyes was simply glad that the Baby Falcons hurdled another stumbling block to achieve their ultimate goal.
“Talagang naniwala na lang kami sa mga sarili namin, nagtulungan naman kami,” said Reyes, a Grade 12 senior.
Adamson, which also advanced to the National Basketball Training Center Finals with the win, will play the winner of the other Final Four between National University Nazareth School and Far Eastern University-Diliman.
After a scoreless first half, Wacky Ludovice exploded for 19 points but his effort was not enough to extend UST’s campaign.
The Tiger Cubs ended their first season under coach Manu Iñigo in fourth place.
The Scores:
AdU (80) – Reyes 23, Esperanza 12, Garcia 11, Medina 11, Bonzalida 6, Abayon 5, Carillo 4, Tumaneng 4, Umali 2, De Jesus 2, Sajili 0.
UST (66) – Ludovice 19, Dungo 17, Buenaflor 8, Ronquillo 7, Manding 6, Bucsit 6, Esteban 3, Lim 0, Verzosa 0, Reyes 0, Velasquez 0, Loreto 0.
Quarterscores: 23-17, 37-27, 61-50, 80-66
