The Fighting Maroons have hit two birds with one stone!
After stunning the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles, the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons shocked another contender, staving off the Adamson University Soaring Falcons in a 70-66 win to take home their first winning streak of the season, Wednesday afternoon at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
“After our win against Ateneo, we gave value to it,” UP head coach Bo Perasol said. “Coming as winners again after that big win, it’s just to give value to what we did. Basically, it’s about everybody contributing.”
UP’s two leading scorers, Paul Desiderio and Jett Manuel, led UP’s charge with 16 points each.
The suprising third man UP needed to take the win was rookie Javi Gomez de Liano. The former UPIS standout scored 13 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting clip to go along with six rebounds.
“The starters, Paul Jett, Jarrel [Lim] and Javi was able to contribute offensively but in the end it was our defense that made it happen for us,” Perasol added.
Just like a diesel engine, the Fighting Maroons bucked a slow first quarter as they were able to limit Adamson to just nine second quarter points to gain a 30-29 lead.
“We were able to stop their shooters,” Perasol added. Adamson’s leading scorer, rookie Jerrick Ahanmisi, was held scoreless in 25 minutes of action while as a team, the Soaring Falcons attempted just 13 shots from downtown.
Leading by as much as 11 points 65-54 with 3:58 remaining in the game, King Falcon Dawn Ochea tried to will Adamson back, sparking a 7-0 run capped by a Robbie Manalang triple with 1:17 remaining.
However, the combination of Desiderio and Manuel did not let the game slip away. Desiderio converted a huge fade-away jumper, but a lapse on the defensive end led to free throws by Sean Manganti which brought the lead back down to four with 47 seconds left.
Manganti was able to trap Manuel in the ensuing play, but the King Maroon was able to find a small hole in the Adamson rookie’s defense that led to a clutch jumper with 35 ticks left, giving UP a 69-63 cushion.
“I was actually telling him that if he wants to be the leader of this team he has to take those crucial shots,” Perasol remarked about Manuel, who added six rebounds and three dimes to his statline. “I have to say that he was able to do that, in the end, that was a turnover waiting to happen and he was able to save that.”
UP shot an excellent 50 percent form the field, negating the horrid 5-of-16 shooting they had from the foul stripe. Adamson shot 40 percent from the floor in comparison. Moreover, the all-Filipino UP frontline was able to keep pace with Sarr and Adamson in the rebounding department, 35 to 35.
MVP candidate Papi Sarr led Adamson with 18 points and 11 rebounds but committed six turnovers, two coming in the last three minutes of the game. Manalang added 10 points.
The UP Fighting Maroons (3-6) will have a tough mountain to climb in their next outing, taking on the unbeaten De La Salle University Green Archers on Saturday, October 15, at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. The Adamson Soaring Falcons (4-5) look to bounce back on Sunday, October 16, as they take on the Ateneo Blue Eagles at the Filoil Flying V Centre.
The Scores:
UP (70) – Desiderio 16, Manuel 16, De Liano 13, Moralde 5, Harris 4, Lim 4, Romero 4, Vito 4, Prado 2, Webb 2, Asilum 0, Dario 0, Espanola 0, Jaboneta 0, Lao 0, Longa 0.
ADU (66) – Sarr 18, Manalang 10, Ochea 8, Paranada 8, Manganti 6, Ng 5, Espeleta 4, Pasturan 3, Camacho 2, Mustre 2, Ahanmisi 0, Bernardo 0.
Quarterscores: 9-20, 29-30, 50-44, 70-66.
