Falcons, Eagles soar high into PCCL Elite 8

Adamson banked on its steady outside shooting to easily dispatch a depleted San Sebastian squad, 65-54, and advance into the Elite 8 of the 2010 Philippine Collegiate Champions League Sweet 16 at the San Juan Arena Tuesday. The Falcons hit nine triples, eight of which came from Januz Lozada and Lester Alvarez, who combined for 8-of-19 shooting from beyond the arc. A semifinalist in the UAAP the past season, the Falcons lived up to their billing as an up-and-coming squad in the collegiate ranks. They posted an early double-digit advantage, 30-17, midway in the second period. The Falcons were never seriously threatened from there. Lozada scored a game-high 21 points, with six rebounds and four steals, while Alvarez finished with 15 markers coming off the bench. Adamson will play FEU in the Elite 8 of this knockout format tournament. The Stags were short-handed with an eight-man lineup. They missed the services of Calvin Abueva, Ronald Pascual, Jonathan Semira, Rey Gorospe and Dave Najorda, who failed to play because of school commitments. “Itong game na ito ‘yung ayaw kong game. Kasi eto yung sitwasyon na kalaban mo kulang, kayat napakahirap maglaro kasi you have nothing to gain,’’ said Adamson coach Leo Austria. “Kapag natalo, malaking kahihiyan 'yun eh. Kaya medyo nag-struggle yung players kasi nakita nilang kulang yung kalaban, at medyo nag-relax. Mahirap yun for a coach.’’ The Stags were only trailing by five, 29-34, but the San Marcelino-based squad quickly changed the complexion of the match when Lozada and Alvarez began to hit their stride. Leading by only four, 53-49, with eight minutes to play, the Falcons again turned to Alvarez and Lozada, who combined for four triples in a 12-5 windup to seal the victory. Gilbert Bulawan led San Sebastian with a double-double of 17 points and 12 boards. Another Stag player, Ian Sangalang, also had a double-double with 11 markers and 19 rebounds. But graduating playmaker Pamboy Raymundo was held scoreless in his final game as a Stag. Ex-pro Eric Gascon temporarily called the shots for the Stags, who lost champion coach Ato Agustin at the end of the NCAA season. Agustin is now handling the San Miguel Beermen in the PBA. In the other Sweet-16 pairing, defending champion Ateneo eliminated Lyceum, 76-66. The Loyola-based quintet arranged an Elite-8 showdown with Mapua on Thursday. Three Ateneo players finished in double figures —Justin Chua (17), Kirk Long (14) and Nico Salva (11). The Blue Eagles dominated the match early, posting their biggest lead at 31-10. But the Pirates were able to fight back in the waning minutes of the game. Trailing 59-72 with four minutes left, Lyceum made a last-ditch stand, unleashing a 7-0 run to slice the lead to only six, 66-72, on Fritz Ong’s charities with 1:29 left. But Ateneo doused the rally, with Chua hitting a jumper with 1:13 left. “I am very satisfied with our performance today. We won the game and it’s our off-season and we did well. I don’t expect my players to be in UAAP shape right now, since we took a two-week break after the Uni-Games. We want to win every game,’’ said Ateneo coach Norman Black. - KY, RCJ, GMANews.TV