UAAP: Falcons avoid end-game collapse, drop Warriors to 1-2

(Updated 5:37pm) The Adamson University Soaring Falcons dropped the University of the East Red Warriors, 78-71, in the first elimination round of the UAAP Season 76 men's basketball tournament, Wednesday, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Falcons, 2-1, moved up to tie the De La Salle University Archers at third place, while the 1-2 Warriors fell to sixth.

[Review the play-by-play of this game here]

It was a tale of two halves again for Adamson as they bullied UE on the defensive end, and Roider Cabrera's hot shooting complemented their efforts for a 30-5 run spanning the first two periods, en route to a 50-25 lead at halftime. But the Warriors kept fighting, attacking the rim to put the Falcons on their heels right until the final minute, but the lead was too much to overcome as Adamson sputtered to the finish line.

Roider Cabrera led his team with 19 points, all in the first half, including nailing 5-of-15 tries from beyond the arc. Ingrid Sewa tallied 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Jericho Cruz compiled 10 points, five rebounds and five assists.

"Our players worked really, really hard. After our game versus UST we didn't take a break because we know UE really wanted to win against us," said Adamson head coach Leo Austria. "But I have to give credit to them, especially Roider, but because of their first half, nagkaroon kami ng punto.

"If you remember our loss against UST, biglang nag-collapse. Nangyari yun because they know our weakness in the backcourt, but we survived," said Austria. "Alam naman namin kung anong gagawin ng UE, which is isolation plays... But I have to give credit to [Roi] Sumang. For me, he's the number one point guard in the tournament right now."

The host school entered the game hot, as Jericho Cruz had his way around the rim for six of their first 12 points. In contrast, the Warriors struggled to finish inside, although a pair of treys by Roi Sumang kept them alive, 12-8.

Unfortunately for the Falcons, Raouf Julkipli drew his third personal foul while contesting another Sumang trey, forcing him to sit early. Sumang made only one, but Charles Mammie cleaned up the miss. The sequence seemed to jolt UE for a while, briefly leading 13-12 on a Lord Casajeros jumper, however, bad shots and turnovers on their part led to a 15-1 blast by the Falcons in the last four and a half minutes. During the stretch, Roider Cabrera hit three triples, making him 4-of-4 for the quarter, to give the Falcons a 27-14 lead after the first period.

The Falcons didn't let up in the second period, as even players like Mike Agustin, Lloyd Abrigo and Harry Petilos got on the scoreboard, while Mammie was slapped with his third personal foul. Adamson's tenacity on the offensive glass also paid off, going up 42-18 on a Cabrera put-back.

JR Sumido nailed a trey with under four minutes to play for the Warriors, but it was the lone bright spot during a miserable quarter for UE, as they floundered against the Falcons' suffocating defense. Ingrid Sewa and Cabrera had their way against the Warriors on the other end, combining for 12 points to forge a 50-25 halftime lead.

The Falcons shot 19-of-39 (48.7 percent) from the field during the first two quarters, led by Cabrera's 19 points on a 7-of-11 clip. In contrast, the Warriors were a mere 10-of-32 (31.3 percent). Adamson also led in second-chance points, 11-2.

The Warriors fielded Mammie in the third quarter but to little effect. Sewa immediately scored on him twice, including a two-handed slam, to stretch the lead to 30 points, 55-25. UE tried to rally back by attacking the basket, getting it down to 55-33 after drives by Sumang and Sumido. However they gave up the same shots to Cruz and Julkipli on the other end, 66-38.

Down but not out, the Warriors made a push between the third and fourth quarters. UE's insistence at getting to the rim resulted in a 18-6 run, capped by a turnover layup by Sumang, 72-56, with 7:21 remaining in the fourth. The Falcons were able to trade baskets for a while, but UE's insistence eventually led to penalty free throws. After Sumido, Sumang and Mammie went 4-of-6 from the line, Casajeros and Sumang dumped a pair of fast break layups, 78-69, with a minute and change remaining.

Despite several turnovers by the Falcons, in the end the lead was too much to overcome for UE. After a pair of freebies from Casajeros with 35 ticks left, UE didn't have enough time to overcome the remaining deficit.

The Falcons finished the game shooting 32-of-73 (43.8 percent) against the Warriors' 23-of-63 (37.1 percent). Adamson also won the rebounding battle, 52-37 (including 18-12 offensive) for a 13-4 advantage in second chance points.

UE led in turnover points, 12-9, working off a 10-17 turnover advantage. They also shot 18-of-32 (56.3 percent) from the charity stripe led by Sumang's 8-of-11, while the Falcons were just 7-of-11 (63.6 percent).

Sumang led all scorers with 26 points, including making 4-of-6 from downtown. Lord Casajeros added 14 points, while Charles Mammie had nine points to go with 14 rebounds and three blocks. - CLP, GMA News


The scores:

ADU 78: Cabrera 19, Sewa 15, Cruz 10, Julikpli 6, Brondial 6, Inigo 5, Rios 4, Petilos 4, Agustin 4, Abrigo 4, Monteclaro 1, Trollano 0

UE 71: Sumang 26, Casajeros 14, Mammie 9, Sumido 6, Santos 4, Javier 4, Olivarez 2, Noble 2, Jumao-as 2, Alberto 2, Pujante 0, Hernandez 0, Galanza 0, Flores 0

Quarter-scoring: 27-14, 50-25, 68-45, 78-71