MANILA, Philippines – Defense wins championships, as the old adage goes in sports, and the Adamson Soaring Falcons embodied that mindset to a T after eliminating the NU Bulldogs from UAAP men’s basketball Final Four contention off a 53-41 slugfest on Sunday, November 10.
Coming off a stunning 45-37 denial of semifinal contender UE (6-6), the Falcons’ latest clamping masterclass pushed them up a 5-7 record, a mere half game behind UST (6-7) for the fourth spot. NU, meanwhile, saw its long-shot Final Four hope dimmed completely with a 4-9 slate at seventh.
Late-season breakout forward AJ Fransman continued his claim stake as the next big Adamson star with a new career-high of 18 points to go with 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and a stellar game-high plus-minus of +25 in just 22 minutes off the bench.
No other Falcon breached double-digit scoring as Arthur Calisay scored 7, while Matty Erolon, Cedrick Manzano, and Monty Montebon all added 6 points each.
“What’s important is we’re still alive. That’s something we have been telling the players. Before the game, we told them about the alignment of the stars,” Adamson head coach Nash Racela said in Filipino.
“But if we don’t do our part, then it will not happen. That was the challenge we gave them before the game.”
After seeing its big 20-7 second-quarter lead reduced to 31-28 before the end of the third, Adamson cleaned up its act in crunch time when it mattered most, piling on a huge 15-4 run bridging the final two frames ending with a Fransman layup at the 6:14 mark of the fourth to earn back a 14-point gap, 46-32.
Despite having ample time to mount a comeback, NU merely fizzled out in the final stretch of regulation as Adamson extended its winning breakaway to 22-9, capped by 5 straight Fransman points in the final 90 seconds to remove all doubt of the game result.
PJ Palacielo was the lone Bulldog in double-digit scoring with a 10-point, 7-rebound effort. Jake Figueroa scattered 8 points, 3 boards, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal in 35 minutes, while Pat Yu stayed scoreless in his last two outings on a combined 0-of-9 clip after bombing 17 against UP.
The Scores
Adamson 53 – Fransman 18, Calisay 7, Manzano 6, Calisay 6, Montebon 6, Yerro 3, Mantua 3, Anabo 2, Ronzone 2, Ojarikre 0, Ramos 0, Barasi 0, Alexander 0, Ignacio 0, Dignadice 0, Barcelona 0.
NU 41 – Palacielo 10, Figueroa 8, Santiago 5, Padrones 4, Jumamoy 4, Manansala 3, Enriquez 3, Francisco 3, Garcia 1, Yu 0, Lim 0, Tulabut 0, Parks 0, Dela Cruz 0.
Quarters: 18-7, 28-20, 39-31, 53-41.
– Rappler.com