THE UST Growling Tigers fell flat to the Adamson Soaring Falcons, 69-59, to close the first round of the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament on Saturday, Oct. 18, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Adamson’s bench stole the show, outscoring UST’s reserves, 42-16, to halt the Tigers’ three-game winning streak.
With the defeat, the Tigers fell to a 5-2 slate, while the Falcons improved to 3-4.
Nic Cabañero opened strong for UST, erupting for nine points to give the Tigers a brief 13–8 advantage.
Big man Collins Akowe contributed key buckets inside, while Kyle Paranada’s free throw tied the game at 16-all to end the opening period.
The Falcons caught fire in the second frame, with Ced Manzano’s second-chance baskets and AJ Fransman’s perimeter shooting for a 32–25 lead.
Baskets from Eman Anabo and Matthew Montebon capped off the surge, pushing the lead to 38–25 at halftime.
UST showed signs of life in the third period as Cabañero and Ivanne Calum trimmed ther deficit to single digits, 42-33.
The España squad inched closer after Cabañero buried a deep triple, but Fransman’s hot hands snuffed out the rally, restoring Adamson’s control entering the final quarter, 53–43.
UST rode a 7-0 scoring surge before Adamson responded with five straight points to regain a 10-point lead, 60–50.
Cabañero tried to will the Tigers back with a jumper and a layup to pull within six, 60–54, but Manzano sealed the win from the free-throw line to seal the victory.
“Maybe it helped that we had 19 free throws — it really made a big difference that we were able to draw some fouls, especially toward the end,” Adamson head coach Nash Racela said postgame.
Racela also apologized to UST for taking that last shot even when UST coaches were already upset.
“I just want to apologize — my bad. I hope they understand where we’re coming from,” he said.
Cabañero paced UST with 23 points, while Akowe contributed 10 markers and 16 boards.
Fransman led the San Marcelino squad with 18 points off the bench, while Manzano added 12 markers and eight rebounds.
The schedule of the second round is yet to be announced. F
