Falcons storm back to nip Tamaraws in UAAP Season 89 opener

MANILA, Philippines -- Adamson ushered in UAAP Season 89 with a statement win over Far Eastern University, 56-53, Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. 

The Soaring Falcons trailed by as much as 13 points but exploded in the fourth quarter to grab the come-from-behind win. 

Matthew Montebon had 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting, to go with three rebounds, four steals and an assist. Mat Edding added 10 points. 

FEU charged to a huge 46-33 lead with less than a minute remaining in the third quarter after a triple by reigning Most Valuable Player Janrey Pasaol. 

A massive 15-0 run by Adamson traversing to the fourth quarter, though, pushed the Falcons ahead, 48-46, after back-to-back deuces by Edding. 

The two teams then traded leads as Ray Allen Torres and Edding kept Adamson afloat, while rookie Cabs Cabonillas hit big shots for FEU. 

Huge shots down the stretch by Matty Erolon spelled the difference, as he hit a tough one with 1:32 left to push them ahead, 56-53. 

And while FEU kept the door ajar with 11.2 seconds to go after forcing a 24 second violation, Kirby Mongcopa took matters into his own hands, launching from beyond the arc for the tie, but it missed as time expired. 

Erolon and new foreign student-athlete Precious Jonah had eight markers apiece for the winning team. 

Pasaol and Cabonillas led FEU with 11 markers each. The former had five assists, two rebounds and a steal, while the latter scored all of the Tamaraws’ seven points in the fourth. He also had 12 rebounds in his seniors’ debut. 

Both teams will return to action on September 26. Adamson will take on Ateneo, while FEU will face University of the East at the Mall of Asia Arena.