ENGAGED in a tight race to finish inside the top two of the classification phase of Season 81 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, the Adamson Soaring Falcons and De La Salle Green Archers shoot for important victories when they take the court today against separate opponents.
Currently situated at second and third place, respectively, with the elimination round now in the homestretch, the Falcons (8-3) and Archers (7-4) look to emerge on top of their respective matches at the Smart Araneta Coliseum with the end view of giving their top-two push further wind.
As per tournament format, the top two teams at the end of the elimination round earn a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four. So far defending champions Ateneo Blue Eagles, at 10-2, are the lone team near booking a top-two spot.
The Falcons battle the prowling University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers (5-6) at 2 p.m. while the Archers collide with the National University Bulldogs (3-8) at 4 p.m.
Adamson lost to Ateneo, 62-48, on Nov. 4 in a game where it struggled mightily at the start and played catch-up for much of the time.
The Falcons tried to salvage the win in the fourth quarter but it proved to be too little too late as they slumped to the defeat, their first in four matches.
Jerome Lastimosa led Adamson with 13 points with Jerrick Ahanmisi the other Falcon in double digits with 10.
Despite the tough loss they absorbed, Falcons coach Franz Pumaren was still upbeat, seeing how his players were able to hold their own on defense, limiting the explosive Eagles offense to just 62 points.
He went on to say that if they are to soar in their remaining games they have to continue playing their brand of play and “doing their job.”
Waiting for the Falcons are the Tigers, a team also in need of a win to give its playoff push a boost.
UST is coming off a 110-69 shellacking at the hands of La Salle on Nov. 3.
LA SALLE VS NU
In the second game, La Salle is out to stretch its ongoing winning streak to three and close the distance with Adamson.
The Archers’ latest win was the romp of the Tigers where Aljun Melecio led the way with 22 points, five rebounds and six assists.
Mark Dyke played his best game to date in a La Salle uniform, finishing with 16 points, with Andrei Caracut and Jolo Go adding 15 and 14 points, respectively.
Down to their last few games in the elimination round, La Salle coach Louie Gonzales expressed hope that they would show the consistency needed for the entire game to put themselves in a better position in the tournament.
“We are pushing the players to be consistent and keep on improving,” Mr. Gonzales said after their win over UST.
Looking to derail La Salle is NU, which has lost back-to-back and has its playoff window slowly closing on it. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
