FilOil: Adamson hangs on, converts late free throws for win over FEU

(Updated 2:40pm) New Far Eastern University Tamaraws head coach Nash Racela narrowly missed his first victory by a point, while his opposing counterpart Leo Austria could only clap his hands and breathe a sigh of relief as time expired. Ingrid Sewa scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds, as Austria's Adamson University Soaring Falcons survived the Tams, 68-67, on Saturday, in the FilOil Flying V Hans Preseason Cup, held at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan. Down by a point with the game hanging in the balance, FEU botched an inbounds play on their last possession, which bounced off the rim onto Terrence Romeo’s palms. Romeo launched an ill-advised shot which clanked off the rim, and Adamson held on to win the game, 68-67. Adamson won their first game in Group A, while FEU, also in their debut game, dropped due to a 0-1 card. It was a cardiac fourth quarter for coach Racela, who, sensing urgency, slotted in both Romeo and super-senior RR Garcia into the game, along with other veterans, after the Falcons had just given themselves a wide distance, courtesy of back-to-back triples from Harry Petilos and Francis Donahue. The San Marcelino-based squad held on to that seven-point lead after two free throws by Adamson's starting guard Ryan Monteclaro, 62-55, but FEU used an 8-2 run to cut the deficit to 64-63. Coach Austria subbed back in center Sewa and his veterans, but Anthony Hargrove and company tightened up their interior defense, and Adamson resorted to jumpers which fell short. Sewa made two free throws, but Roger Pogoy and Hargrove made hard-earned baskets to keep them at bay, 67-66, 34.4 seconds left. Coach Racela instructed his boys to foul, but Don Trollano dutifully sank both free throws to return the lead to Adamson’s, 68-67. FEU fumbled on their last play and failed to foul any of Adamson’s shooters, as the Falcons came home with the win. Despite the losing effort, Romeo played splendidly in the fourth, scoring 12 of his team’s 23 fourth quarter points. Teams measured well against each other in the first, as both featured hulking big men in Anthony Hargrove and newcomer Ingrid Sewa, who neutralized each other, until Hargrove scored his first two points via a short jumper. Both teams went tooth-for-tooth in the initial 10 minutes, which ended at a close 14-12, in favor of Adamson. The Falcons widened their lead to six in the second quarter, which FEU doused with a 6-0 run. Adamson countered with a 6-0 run of their own, via free throws by Trollano and a triple by Harry Petilos, which FEU managed to water down again, this time by attacking the basket. Adamson managed to find some breathing room after two consecutive stabs by Rodney Brondial. FEU had a chance to close the gap after Jericho Cruz and Brondial were slapped with technical fouls for delaying the game, but the Tams failed to make anything of the free throws and the extra possession, while a tip-in by Donohue closed the half at 36-31, in favor of the Falcons. At the half, Adamson tallied 19 rebounds over FEU’s 17, with three more turnover points (7-4) than Far Eastern, off six Tamaraw turnovers. FEU had trouble converting easy baskets inside the arc, making only 34 percent of their two-point attempts, while in contrast, AdU struggled to to find their form from downtown, as they shot 5-of-19 from rainbow land (26 percent). The wily Tams managed to strike back in the third quarter, as Garcia and Romeo led a small blitz to flatten the game at 36-all. FEU managed to take the lead after a short jumper by small forward Roger Pogoy, until Coach Leo Austria urged his men to keep feeding the ball to the 6'8" Cameroonian Sewa, who was gaining some confidence in the paint. Sewa scored the last seven points of the third quarter for Adamson, putting them up by four, 48-44. Despite Romeo’s hero ball antics, the team fell short in the fourth quarter, failing to take advantage of Adamson’s offensive slump late. By the time that clock ticked zero, the Soaring Falcons could only cheer. Free throws played a huge role in Adamson’s win, as the Falcons made 23 out of 30 attempts from the line, compared to a paltry 11 tries for FEU, who made eight. The Falcons out-rebounded the Tams 35-29, owing to a combination of size and heft in Sewa and Brondial, who combined for 14 boards. Don Trollano also contributed to the rebounding effort, chipping in seven of his own. Despite speculations that he was headed to play pro basketball, R.R. Garcia is still with the Tamaraws, playing as a reserve in the preseason. Most of FEU’s players are still with the team, sans the Bringas brothers. Among the fresh faces in the team are center-forward Raymar Jose, Jovannie Luz, and Jesson Delfinado. On the blue side of things, Adamson was finally allowed to play Sewa, who sat out and established residency for two straight seasons. Joining him are forward Francis Donahue and point guard Axel Inigo. Notable is the fact that swingman Jericho Cruz is sporting a slimmer physique, compared to last season’s. Ingrid Sewa top-scored with 12 points for Adamson, followed by Brondial and Jericho Cruz with 10 points apiece. Romeo notched 21 points for FEU, followed by Hargrove with 11. - AMD, GMA News The scores: AdU – Sewa 12, Brondial 10, Cruz 10, Petilos 9, Trollano 5, Donahue 5, Cabrera 5, Cabrera 5, Rios 3, Inigo 3, Monteclaro 2, Agustin 2, Cabigas 2, Abrigo 0, Julkipli 0 FEU – Romeo 21, Hargrove 11, Pogoy 7, Garcia 6, Belo 6, Mendoza 5, Escoto 4, Cruz 3, Tolomia 2, Jose 2, Inigo 0, Luz 0, Delfinado 0 Quarter scores: 14-12, 36-31, 48-44, 68-67