When UE briefly took the lead late, Adamson relied on its tried-and-true weapon — lockdown defense — to pull away. Now, the Soaring Falcons edge closer to the UAAP Final Four picture.
It wasn’t picture-perfect, but Adamson showed once again that grit often wins out.
Relying on their trademark defense, the Soaring Falcons held the UE Red Warriors to just three points in the final three minutes to claim a 56-53 nail-biter and a third-straight win in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament.
[ALSO READ: UAAP: Streaking Adamson keeps UE winless, shares fifth spot with Ateneo]
UE briefly broke through with a 7-2 run to grab a 50–49 lead with 2:55 left — its first and only lead of the night.
But just as the Red Warriors began to dream, Adamson shut the door.
Austin Ronzone sank a clutch right-corner triple to flip the momentum back, before John Medina added a midrange jumper for a 54–50 cushion with 1:42 remainining.
UE still had a shot at the upset, but a costly turnover in the final minute and a missed three-pointer with 15.9 seconds sent the Red Warriors to its eighth straight loss and 12th overall since last season.
Player of the Game Cedrick Manzano was steady all game, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds — Adamson’s lone double-digit scorer — while the bench delivered a combined 32 points in the win.
Cedrick Manzano shoots over Mark Cabero in Adamson's UAAP second-round win over UE in the men's basketball. | Photo: The UAAP
"’Di pa kami patay, buhay pa, head above water. ’Yun lang naman ang gusto mo — you just want to have a chance. Today wasn’t that nice, buti na lang nakakuha kami ng panalo,” head coach Nash Racela said.
If ain't broke, don't fix it
The Soaring Falcons managed only nine points in the fourth quarter, but Racela’s crew found a familiar solution: defense.
During their three-game surge, Adamson has held opponents to an average of just 58 points — proof that they’re winning games on the back of a solid defensive effort.
“Sa mindset kasi namin, nahihirapan kami sa offense kaya ginagalingan na lang namin sa depensa kasi ‘yun yung pinaka-bala namin,” said Manzano.
He added: “Kung hindi kami maka-shoot, dapat ma-stop namin sila.”
And stop them they did.
When the final buzzer sounded, Adamson stood tall at 4-4, tying Ateneo for fifth place and stay within the Final Four race.
John Abate paced the Red Warriors with 16 markers while big man Precious Momowei's 15-point, 14-rebound effort was put to naught.
The Soaring Falcons will look to keep soaring when they face the UST Growling Tigers on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at the same venue.
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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.