Adamson exacts revenge on La Salle for seventh win

In their second meet-up this week, the Adamson Soaring Falcons got the upper hand over the DLSU Green Archers, 57-50, Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

La Salle tried to stay close to Adamson with almost six minutes left in the game, 47-46, after an Aljun Melecio trey. However, the Falcons' Sean Manganti answered with his own three that sparked another run for the San Marcelino-based squad to seal their seventh win this season.

UAAP 81: Adamson vs. DLSU

Both teams were tight in scoring for three quarters, with Adamson making 16 points  against La Salle's 15 during the final period, and 14 for the Archers while the Falcons registered 13 points.

The two teams made 19 points during the second period to end the first half, 28-21. However, it was not enough for La Salle as Adamson limited the green-and-white team to just two points during the first quarter.

"We treated this game as a game that we needed to win because of the team standings and we're hoping that we can sustain our position right now. What really transpired in this game is our defense," Adamson head coach Franz Pumaren said.

This is Pumaren's first win against his former school since he was appointed as Adamson's head tactician.

"As you all know, it was a tough loss against La Salle during the first round and probably, everybody was excited because we will be able to recover from that particular debacle against La Salle last game," he added.

Coach Franz on winning against La Salle: What really transpired in this game is our defense. @gmanews pic.twitter.com/odzwntnUxv

— JK Carandang (@jk_carandang) October 20, 2018

Manganti led the Falcons with 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Papi Sarr pitched in 12 points and made 15 boards.

"We're gonna celebrate tonight and after tonight, it's back to business," the veteran Manganti said.

"We've been working hard for this game. For me right now, I'm not surprised with the result," Sarr added.

Pumaren even praised Manganti for his double-double performance. "Sean played pretty well. They rejected Sean and we developed him. That's a testament to our program that proves to you that in our program, we know how to develop players," the multi-titled mentor said.

Melecio topped the Archers with 18 points while Encho Serrano, following his breakout performance last Wednesday, made 10 points and five rebounds.

The Falcons are now on top of the standings with seven wins and two losses while the Archers slide to 5-4.

Adamson will play again on Sunday against the UP Fighting Maroons while La Salle will play the FEU Tamaraws on Saturday.

Scores:

AdU (57) -- Manganti - 19, Sarr -12, Ahanmisi -- 9, Pingoy -6, Camacho - 4, Lastimosa - 3, Magbuhos - 2, Zaldivar - 2, Bernardo - 0, Catapusan - 0, Espeleta - 0, Mojica - 0.

DLSU (50) - Melecio - 18, Serrano - 10, Baltazar - 6, Santillan - 5, Dyke - 4, Montalbo - 4, Manuel - 2, Bates - 0, Corteza - 0.

—LBG, GMA News