UAAP: Red Warriors notch first win at Falcons' expense

(Updated 5:51pm) The University of the East Red Warriors were pushed near to their breaking point, but their effort paid off with their first win of UAAP Season 75, dropping the Adamson Soaring Falcons, 71-66, Thursday, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Roi Sumang made big plays when his team, scoring eight of his team's last 10 points, to finish with 18 markers and eight assists. JR Sumido added 12 points, while Gene Beleza had 11. Adrian Santos notched 10 points and nine rebounds for UE. "We just had to find a way to win," said UE head coach Jerry Codinera. "When you're down with five or six losses, you just have to keep motivating your team and hope things better." Codinera also praised Sumang for his clutch play in the final two minutes. "I asked him if he needed [me to get him] the ball, and he told me he'd just read the defense. I trusted him and he delivered," he said. In the final period, Cabrera and Camson connected from deep for the Falcons on back-to-back plays, but their interior defense was found wanting as lay-ups by Chris Javier, Santos and Sumido nullified their efforts. In frustration, Adamson head coach Leo Austria called for a timeout with barely two minutes gone in the quarter. When play resumed, the Falcons began to live at the foul line, going on a 9-of-10 tear. A leaner by Eric Camson then got their deficit down to just five points, 60-55, with 4:36 left in the game. Adamson’s luck then went out the window, as they went 3-of-10 from the stripe, while a charity by JR Sumido and a Roi Sumang drive kept their advantage at five. Camson finally nailed a pair with 1:13 left, but once again Sumang had the counter ready, making it 65-60 with 49 seconds left. Baskets by Camson and Cruz were met by charities by Gene Belleza and another daredevil move by Sumang, 69-66, with nine seconds left. Forced to foul, Ar-Raouf Julkipli sent Sumang to the line, where Adamson needed him to miss both in order to still have a hope of stealing this one. He made both though, coming up clutch for his side. Adamson and UE combined for 73 free throws in the game: UE made 17-of-25, while Adamson fared worse with a 25-for-48 mark. The Falcons played sloppily in the early game, fumbling passes and shot attempts in the half-court set. UE fared slightly better and drew first blood with baskets by Erwin Duran and Ian Valdez, who gave UE a 5-0 lead. Adamson stayed aggressive on the offensive glass, and their doggedness finally paid off as Rodney Brondial tipped in his own miss at the 5:04 mark for their first score. However, both sides continued to struggle in the early goings, as they struggled to a 9-9 score after the first ten minutes. UE found some success with a pair of drive-and-kick plays at the start of the second quarter, coming out to a 7-3 start, 16-12. Jericho Cruz came away with four of Adamson's next five, but the Falcons’ run was short-lived as things swung back in UE’s favor, courtesy of an 11-4 run.   Adamson was hobbled by a 2-for-6 show at the line during the same stretch and was forced to settle for a 30-21 deficit at halftime. The Falcons seemed to start the second half on track when Cabrera converted from three. It seemed though that Warriors' momentum carried over from break as they countered with an undergoal stab by Erwin Duran. A cutting move by Santos and a pair of athletic layups by Sumang, the Warriors swung back with a 9-2 run, 41-26. A pair of charities by Gene Belleza led to UE’s biggest lead of the game, 18 points, 47-29, with 3:08 left to play in the third, but a pair of Rodney Brondial makes got it down to a more manageable 52-38, headed into the final quarter. Codinera also revealed that Warriors big man Sam Razon would be out for the season after suffering an ACL injury in their last outing. Roider Cabrera led Adamson with 16 points. Rodney Brondial had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Cruz and Camson tallied 14 apiece, while the latter added 13 boards. Both teams now find themselves with identical 1-5 records, with a game remaining in the first round. The Falcons will play the UST Growling Tigers on Sunday at 2pm, while UE takes on UP at 4pm. - AMD, GMA News The scores: UE 71: Sumang 18, Sumido 12, Beleza 11, Santos 10, Flores 5, Javier 4, Duran 4, Valdez 3, Hernandez 2, Galanza 2, Alberto 0, Mena 0 ADU 66: Cabrera 16, Brondial 15, Cruz 14, Camson 14, Etrone 4, Monteclaro 2, Julkipli 1, Trollano 0, Rios 0, Petilos 0, Olalia 0, Cabigas 0, Abrigo 0 Quarter scores:  9-9, 30-21, 52-38, 71-66