Far Eastern University-Diliman continued its dominance over Adamson University, securing a 96-84 victory to mark its second straight win in the UAAP Season 87 Junior High School Basketball Tournament on Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Building on momentum from an 83-79 win against the DLSZ Junior Archers last Wednesday, the Baby Tamaraws solidified their hold on second place with an 8-2 record, moving 2.5 games ahead of the UST Tiger Cubs (5-4) in the race for the second seed.
“Napakaimportante nitong laro na ito. Ito yung paraan para makakuha ka ng ticket papunta sa Final Four at buti nakakabanko na kami ng panalo heading into the last few games,” shared FEU-D head coach Muriel Garcia.
The Baby Tamaraws turned a narrow 32-25 lead into a commanding 57-36 halftime advantage with a 25-11 run led by CP Miranda, Mark Dulin, Lakay Pasinos, Denden Enriquez, and Duke Santos.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Adamson managed a nine-point burst by Aurelio Fransman and two free throws from Prince Banate to close the gap to 69-60 after initially falling behind by 20 early in the third quarter.
However, FEU-D quickly answered with consecutive baskets from Anton Lopez and Santos, extending the lead to 78-60 heading into the fourth.
Adamson mounted a late 22-6 run to cut the deficit to eight points, 90-82, with less than 2:30 remaining, but the Baby Tamaraws’ 24-point lead to start the final quarter was ultimately too large for the Baby Falcons to overcome.
The victory reinforced FEU-D’s control over Adamson, having previously defeated them 81-55 in their season opener on September 8.
“Sinanay namin yung bata kailangan yung composure nila intact. Dapat hindi nila makalimutan kung ano yung pinagusapan namin sa depensa. Yung Adamson kasi, magaling kasi sa rebounds yan ‘eh, so dapat bago sila magrebound na yung tao niyo nakalock na sa kanila,” added Garcia.
Pasinos led FEU-D with 22 points (16 in the first half), adding nine rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.
Lopez contributed 19 points, eight assists, three rebounds, and a steal.
Dulin added 12 points, six rebounds, six steals, an assist, and a block, while Miranda chipped in 11 points, five assists, two rebounds, and two steals.
Enriquez had an all-around game with eight points, six assists, four rebounds, and a steal.
The Baby Tamaraws will aim for a third consecutive victory when they face winless University of the Philippines Integrated School on Sunday, Nov. 17, at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Adamson, coming off an upset win over Ateneo, fell to seventh place with a 2-8 record following its eighth loss of the season.
Chrys Gomez led the Baby Falcons with 19 points, six assists, two steals, and one rebound. Fransman contributed 15 points, five assists, three rebounds, and two steals.
Craig Fongtong nearly achieved a double-double with 14 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two blocks, while Jenhuar Tiamzon and Edison Jordan rounded out Adamson’s effort with 14 and 10 points, respectively.
The Baby Falcons will look to bounce back in a challenging matchup against undefeated University of the East, scheduled for the same day and venue.
The Scores:
FEU (96) – Pasinos 22, Lopez 19, Dulin 12, Miranda 11, Santos 10, Enriquez 8, Victoria 7, Cariño 4, Lassiter 3, Pineda 0, Barlan 0, Diaz 0, Daa 0, Adriano 0, Chavez 0.
AdU (84) – Gomez 19, Fransman 15, Fongtong 14, Tiamzon 14, Jordan 10, Banate 6, Iledan 2, Jordan 2, Azurias , Ondevilla 0, Ang 0.
Quarterscores: 27-20, 57-36, 78-60, 96-84
