AdU drops UP, gains No. 3 seed
Adamson booked a return trip to the Final Four – and with higher seeding this time – after storming to an 86-70 win over University of the Philippines last night in the UAAP Season 80 men’s basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
With sights set on No. 3 seeding in the semis, the streaking Falcons put their best foot forward to hurdle the tough challenge of the must-win Maroons and meet their objective with their ninth win in 13 games.
“Coming to this game we’re on Final Four mode already because you know during this stretch, every game is important for they are learning experiences for us,” said Adamson coach Franz Pumaren.
The Falcons dropped the Maroons to fifth with a 5-7 mark, putting pressure on the Diliman-based cagers in their chase for the fourth and last semis slot with the four thrunning Far Eastern Tamaraws.
The Tams positioned themselves in front of UP with a 79-63 disposal of the University of the East Warriors earlier in the day, notching their sixth victory in 12 starts.
Papi Sarr threw his weight around against the Maroons and banged in 25 markers and grabbed 17 rebounds while Jerie Pingoy posted whopping numbers of 15 markers, eight assists, six steals and one block, helping AdU better its eight-win record and No. 4 seeding last season.
“It’s an improvement from last year. When I came in last season, my timetable was we’d make the playoffs in 2017 but we’re able to fast-track it and make the Final Four last season. Now we’re in third place but we’re not gonna be contended by this,” said Pumaren.
Jasper Parker came through with a career game for FEU, firing nine of his team-high 18 in the fourth quarter to help the Tams widen the gap to 74-60 from a close three-point game.
“More than the scoring, it’s the way he orchestrates the plays for us, how he dictates the tempo for our team,” FEU mentor Olsen Racela said of their starting point guard, who also dished off eight assists. The scores First Game FEU 79 – Parker 18, Orizu 14, Tolentino 10, Dennison 9, Trinidad 9, Cani 8, Tuffin 4, Escoto 3, Bayquin 2, Comboy 2, Ebona 0, Inigo 0, Ramirez 0.
UE 63 – Pasaol 18, Olayon 14, Maloles 8, Acuno 8, Manalang 7, Conner 4, Bartolome 4, Cullar 0, Toribio 0, Abanto 0, Derige 0, Varilla 0. Quarterscores: 18-22, 29-33, 49-49, 79-63 Second Game AdU 86 – Sarr 25, Pingoy 15, Ahanmisi 11, Manalang 10, Espeleta 8, Manganti 5, Ochea 4, Camacho 4, Hill 4, Paranada 0, Mustre 0, Bernardo 0, Lojera 0.
UP 70 – Desiderio 20, Manzo 15, Ja. Gomez de Liano 10, Vito 6,Lim 4, Dario 3, Jaboneta 3, Webb 3, Lao 2, Ouattara 2, Romero 2, Prado 0, Harris 0.
Quarterscores: 18-17, 39-31, 69-50, 86-70