By Jun Ray Navarres
Adamson University completed an improbable comeback and stunned the University of Santo Tomas in a heart-stopping overtime encounter, 97-96, in the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
With less than 10 ticks left on the game clock and UST leading 96-94, Ray Allen Torres made a strong drive to the basket but was defended by Gelo Crisostomo.
Luckily, Matthew Montebon was waiting at the corner and a quick swing to Matt Erolon at the wing secured the dagger three for the Soaring Falcons with only 2.6 sec left.
“Nung nakita ko na si Ray umatake, alam ko nang iki-kick out niya… Nakita ko pinasa niya kay Monty and ‘yung tao ko which is si Forthsky (Padrigao) naghelp sa kaniya. Nakita ko ‘yun so pagsalo ko ng bola, shoot with confidence lang talaga ako,” said Erolon.
Adamson seemed dead in the water late in regulation, trailing by as much as eight points, 88-80, with less than a minute remaining.
Luckily, a series of costly turnovers and missed free throws by the Growling Tigers, combined with the brilliance of Montebon, allowed the Falcons to keep a striking distance. Montebon, who finished with 19 points, hit the game-tying triple with just 1.6 seconds on the clock to send the game to overtime at 89-all.
In the extra five minutes, Collins Akowe’s three consecutive free throws put the Tigers in the 96-94 lead, but Erolon happened, sinking a massive three-point bomb to put Adamson ahead for good.
“We’re developing grit. I huddled the team after. I thanked them for not giving up. I go back to the first round sabi ko ‘paano namin tatalunin ang UST? Kapag nakatono’. Today, we were out of tune, it was a struggle… it’s good that our players played for each other,” said Adamson head coach Nash Racela.
The Falcons’ scoring was led by Torres, who poured in a team-high 20 points, including crucial hits in the final quarter.
Cedrick Manzano also tallied 19 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocks in a stellar all-around effort.
Rookie Earl Medina also dropped 10 points and eight rebounds but was noticed with how he handled senior Nic Cabañero, capped by the crucial block in the overtime period.
For UST, the 19-point, 14-rebound double-double input of Akowe went for naught, as the Tigers suffered their third consecutive defeat.
Mark Llemit chipped in 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Padrigao and Kyle Paranada each contributed 14 points. Cabañero was held to a quiet 10 points on 4-of-14 shooting.
The win tied Adamson and UST in fourth place with 5-4 records.
Featured image courtesy of UAAP Media Bureau
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