Adamson University strengthened its Final Four bid by eliminating National University in a gritty 53-41 victory in the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday.
The win propelled the Soaring Falcons to a 5-7 record, putting them in solo fifth place. They are just half a game behind the fourth-seeded University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers, who sit at 6-7.
The two teams will face off in a crucial game with Final Four implications on Saturday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
“Ang importante lang is buhay pa kami. That’s something we keep telling the players. Before the game, we told them about the alignment of stars. So, pumuporma pero if we don’t do our part, it will not happen. That’s the challenge we told them before the game,” said Adamson head coach Nash Racela.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
The Bulldogs, who trailed by as much as 15 points in the first half (13-28), mounted a comeback with a 15-3 run spanning the second and third quarters. They closed the gap to 28-31 midway through the third period following a jumper by PJ Palacielo.
However, the Soaring Falcons responded with a defensive masterclass.
Adamson held NU scoreless for a span of nine minutes, allowing only split free throws by Kenshin Padrones, Jolo Manansala, Steve Nash Enriquez, and Tebol Garcia.
During that drought, the Bulldogs missed eight field goal attempts and committed three turnovers. On the other hand, the Falcons capitalized with 15 points to build a 46-32 lead.
Jake Figueroa finally broke the scoring drought for NU with a jump shot at the 5:26 mark of the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs were on track to score fewer than 40 points for the first time in 13 years, until Paul Francisco hit a meaningless triple in the final seconds.
The last time NU scored below 40 points was on September 3, 2011, when they lost to Ateneo, 39-61.
AJ Fransman, a transferee from Enderun Colleges, had a career-high 18 points, along with 11 rebounds and three assists.
Ced Manzano anchored the Falcons’ defense, finishing with a plus-16 with a line of six points, seven rebounds, and two blocks.
Jhon Calisay, Matty Erolon, and Mathew Montebon also provided some offense for Adamson in this key win.
“Tulad nga ng sabi ng coaches, pumapabor sa amin ‘yung games… the stars are aligned for us but we just have to do our part. We can only control kung anong nasa control namin so tinake to heart namin yun,” said Fransman, who finished with a plus-25 rating in his 22 minutes on the court.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Despite a late rally by the Bulldogs, their efforts fell short as they dropped to 4-9, ending their two-season streak of Final Four appearances.
NU had finished third in both of the previous seasons.
The Bulldogs had made seven and 10 three-pointers in wins over the University of the Philippines and UST, respectively. This game, they saw themselves limited to just 3-of-24 shooting from beyond the arc in this game.
Palacielo contributed 10 points and seven rebounds for the Bulldogs, while Figueroa added eight points, three rebounds, and three assists.
NU will conclude its campaign on Wednesday against De La Salle University at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
The Scores:
AdU 53 – Fransman 18, Calisay 7, Erolon 6, Montebon 6, Yerro 3, Mantua 3, Anabo 2, Ronzone 2, Barasi 0, Ojarikre 0, Ignacio 0, Alexander 0, Barcelona 0, Dignadice 0, Ramos 0.
NU 41 – Palacielo 10, Figueroa 8, Santiago 5, Jumamoy 4, Padrones 4, Francisco 3, Enriquez 3, Manansala 3, Garcia 0, Yu 0, Lim 0, Tulabut 0, Dela Cruz 0, Parks 0.
Quarterscores: 18-7, 28-20, 39-31, 53-41
