Adamson soars to victory, with the Falcons taming the UST Growling Tigers in UAAP Season 87 men's basketball action.
The Adamson Soaring Falcons played spoiler to UST’s optimistic start as they handed the Growling Tigers their first loss of UAAP Season 87, 69-56, in their round 1 encounter at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on Sunday, September 15.
Despite going into the game as underdogs against the previously undefeated Growling Tigers, the Soaring Falcons rode a hot start from first-year player AJ Fransman to go toe-to-toe with their foes.
Even after falling behind by double digits early, 8-18, the Soaring Falcons were able to claw back and take the lead by halftime, 33-32.
Things started clicking for Adamson in the third quarter, where they outscored the Growling Tigers, 19-6, which included a scorching 17-1 scoring burst to end the period.
By the final 10 minutes of play, Adamson was ahead, 52-38.
The Soaring Falcons continued pouring it on against the Growling Tigers and extended their lead to as many as 20, 67-47, after a Joshua Yerro and-one conversion with 2:28 left in the game.
Three different Falcons finished in double digit scoring, led by Monty Montebon’s 15 points. He also had five rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
Fransman finished with a double-double in just 18 minutes of play, going for 11 points, 10 boards, two assists, two steals, and a block. Former UST Tiger Royce Mantua, meanwhile, also had 11 markers for the Soaring Falcons.
Adamson head coach Nash Racela said that he was delighted at how his players responded after their lopsided loss to the De La Salle Green Archers in their previous game.
“I’m happy with the effort that the players gave today. We out-rebounded a big team like UST so it means that they put in the effort today,” he said.
“The last couple of days, we've been struggling with our focus. I didn’t really know how they would play today. They made our adjustments and played a lot better today,” he continued.
With the win, Adamson improved to 2-1 for the year. UST, meanwhile, suffered its first loss of the season and now sport an identical 2-1 slate.
Nic Cabañero paced the Growling Tigers in the losing effort with 16 points.
Adamson goes for another victory when the Falcons face the Ateneo Blue Eagles on Saturday, September 21, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. UST, for its part, targets a bounce back win over the NU Bulldogs on the same day and venue.