Games on Saturday
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
7:30 a.m. – UPIS vs DLSZ (U16)
9:30 a.m. – FEU-D vs UE (U16)
11:30 a.m. – FEU vs UE (Women)
1:30 p.m. – FEU vs UE (Men)
4:30 p.m. – UP vs DLSU (Men)
7 p.m. – UP vs DLSU (Women)

ADAMSON UNIVERSITY scraped past the free-falling contender De La Salle University (DLSU), 61-60, and stayed in contention for a Final Four seat in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball on Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

The Soaring Falcons nearly wasted what seemed a comfortable six-point lead in the last 44 seconds but held on in the nick of time as Green Archers guard Earl Abadam missed the game-winning triple at the buzzer off a steal in transition for a much-needed win to check a costly three-game skid.

Adamson soared to 6-7, needing to win its last match against fellow hopeful Ateneo next week to finish at 7-7 for one of the requirements to stay alive. The other one is hope for the losses of University of Santo Tomas (7-5) and La Salle (6-6), which could still go as high as 8-6 for a shot at the last two seats in the Final Four. Ateneo de Manila University (5-6), playing University of the Philippines (UP) at press time, and Far Eastern University (FEU) (5-7) are also in the equation for an airtight five-way race.

“We’re just happy to be still alive. If we want to live another day, we really had no choice to win this game. I think from their end, La Salle also had the same mentality as they will still play UP. This is the game they wanted to win but in the end, it boiled down to whoever wanted it more,” said coach Nash Racela.

The troika of Matty Erolon, Cedrick Manzano and Matthew Montebon salvaged the Soaring Falcons’ season with 18, 15 and 10 points, respectively, including the deciding 9-2 rally in the last five minutes to turn a 52-53 deficit to a 61-55 lead in the 1:59 mark.

Mr. Erolon ignited it with a booming triple followed by Mr. Manzano’s short stab before Mr. Montebon unleashed the finishing kick with back-to-back contested jumpers for what the Falcons assumed an enough gap in a bid to exact a tough 60-58 loss in the first round.

But the Green Archers, wounded and all due to the season-ending MCL injuries of Mason Amos and Kean Baclaan, refused to ride into the sunset without a fight behind Jacob Cortez and Earl Abadam, who nailed a clutch triple off an inbound steal from Mr. Montebon to push them to within 60-61 with still 27 ticks to go.

La Salle had one last chance to snatch the back-and-forth match with no team leading by double digits after another steal by Mr. Cortez on Mr. Erolon at the shot clock and sprinted into the break to quick dime to Mr. Abadam for the winner but to no avail.

The Green Archers, who made the finals in back-to-back seasons including a title in Season 86, absorbed their third straight loss to fall into the danger zone at 6-6 entering must-win games against titleholder UP and Ateneo.

Vhoris Maragisan (15) and EJ Gollena (10) paced La Salle as anchor Mike Phillips struggled from the field with a 1-of-12 clip for seven points and 15 rebounds. Mr. Cortez also bled for just five points in La Salle’s untimely slump after a four-game win spree capped by a big triumph of UP to end the first round.

In women’s basketball, Cheska Apag (19), Kemi Adeshina (17) and Elaine Etang (12) conspired as Adamson gained solo fourth place at 6-7 after a 78-70 win over La Salle. The Lady Falcons created enough separation from the FEU Lady Tamaraws (5-7) and the Lady Archers (4-8) for the last semifinal seat. — John Bryan Ulanday

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