UP pulls away from Adamson late to clinch Final Four spot
MANILA, Philippines – After a two-week hiatus, the UP Fighting Maroons finally returned to action and officially secured a Final Four spot in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament after holding off the Adamson Soaring Falcons, 70-59, at the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday, October 27.
JD Cagulangan showed the way with a game-high 17 points, while Gani Stevens stepped up huge with 10 points on a perfect 3-of-3 field goal clip for the Fighting Maroons, whose previous outing was way back October 13 in their 83-73 rout of the UST Growling Tigers.
The Fighting Maroons were supposed to face the NU Bulldogs last October 20 and the UE Red Warriors last October 23, but both games got moved to later dates due to a schedule change and the inclement weather caused by Tropical Storm Kristine.
Still, UP picked up where it left off two Sundays ago and hiked its record to 8-1, becoming just the second team to punch its ticket to the semifinals, along with the league-leading La Salle Green Archers (10-1).
“This was a clinching semifinal game so you know, it’s something that we’re going to celebrate tonight,” said UP assistant coach Christian Luanzon.
“But at the same time, the goal is the big picture, which is to enter the finals, [and we’re] giving ourselves an opportunity for that,” added Luanzon as the Fighting Maroons look to avenge their back-to-back finals losses to the Ateneo Blue Eagles in Season 85 and the Green Archers in Season 86.
After trailing most of the first half, UP ended the second quarter on a fiery 10-0 run to turn a 28-31 disadvantage into a 38-31 lead at halftime.
It was a nip-and-tuck battle between UP and Adamson throughout the second half, and with the Soaring Falcons only down by a single point at the 3:48 mark of the fourth quarter, 57-58, the Fighting Maroons once again uncorked a furious 12-0 blast to finally pull away with a 70-57 cushion with just 52.4 seconds to play.
Mathew Montebon carried the fight for the Soaring Falcons in their fifth straight loss with 14 points, while AJ Fransman and Cedrick Manzano added 13 and 12, respectively.
The setback put Adamson’s record down to 3-7 — tied with the Blue Eagles at sixth place.
The Scores
UP 70 – Cagulangan 17, Stevens 10, Fortea 9, Belmonte 9, Abadiano 7, Torres 4, Millora-Brown 4, Bayla 3, Ududo 3, Lopez 2, Felicilda 2, Alter 0, Torculas 0.
Adamson 59 – Montebon 14, Fransman 13, Manzano 12, Yerro 6, Mantua 5, Ojarikre 4, Calisay 3, Ignacio 2, Alexander 0, Anabo 0, Ronzone 0.
Quarters: 17-20, 38-31, 55-48, 70-59.
– Rappler.com