After blowing a 23-point lead in their last game, Adamson managed to preserve a double-digit lead this time, securing a win over UST and giving coach Nash Racela reason to be encouraged in UAAP Season 88.
Adamson finally closed out a game the way head coach Nash Racela envisioned.
The Soaring Falcons protected an early double-digit lead and held off the UST Growling Tigers. It was enough to pull off a shocking first-round upset in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament.
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After a back-and-forth first quarter, Adamson seized control with a 22-9 second-quarter surge, taking a 38-25 halftime lead.
When UST trimmed the gap to 50-55 on a floater from Kyle Paranada, Cedrick Manzano and Ray Allen Torres combined to rebuild a double-digit cushion at 60-50 with 6:53 left, and the Soaring Falcons never looked back.
“Malaking bagay ‘yung mga ganoong runs kasi a team like us and you’re playing a bigger program is hindi pwede ‘yung close games sa huli. Sometimes, we are up in the fourth quarter nahahabol pa kami,” Racela said.
In their earlier showdown with UE, the Falcons built a 45-25 halftime lead but saw the Red Warriors storm back with a 33-12 third quarter to take a 58-57 edge entering the fourth.
Adamson eventually limited UE to four points in the final frame to secure a 77-62 win in Katipunan.
[ALSO READ: UAAP: Adamson buckles up on defense when needed most, avoids collapse vs UE]
“Yung ang target namin, as much as we can we na have the lead going to the endgame. Ngayon nakatulong, we were able to manage it better than the previous games,” Racela added.
Adamson did so with a disciplined defense that held UST to its lowest scoring output of the season while giving the Soaring Falcons a 50-40 rebounding edge.
League statistician Pong Ducanes noted that UST’s key five — Collins Akowe, Forth Padrigao, Gelo Crisostomo, Amiel Acido, and Kyle Paranada — averaged 57.7 points per game, yet were limited to just 23 points.
“Today was an exceptional game [for us]. I don’t want to take away what our players did but I guess they were focused today and ‘yung effort nila naroon. They deserve to win,” Racela ended.
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Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.
Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues