Mark Isip and Jeff Chan combined for 30 points although it was the team’s solid job together defensively that proved to be the key in its second straight victory following an 81-66 win over University of the East last week.
Ateneo relied heavily on a solid all-round effort of point guard LA Tenorio as the Eagles clawed the UST Tigers, 79-72, for its first win in the tourney in the second game.
Tenorio had a rare triple-double with 15 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds as the Eagles bounced back from a 60-78 blowout by the La Salle Archers Sunday.
"He (Tenorio) got us into our offense. It’s his energy that’s going to feed this team the whole season," said Ateneo coach Norman Black.
The Tamaraws, runners-up to the La Salle Archers last season, held the Falcons to less than half of what they scored in their 116-103 rout of the National University Bulldogs Sunday.
"We stopped their (Adamson’s) running game. We limited their fast break points," said rookie FEU coach Robert Flores.
Working hard on defense, the Tamaraws clobbered the Falcons despite main man Arwind Santos struggling offensively.
The high-leaping Santos, last year’s MVP, missed 11 of 13 field-goal attempts to finish with only four points. However, the 6-foot-6 player plucked a game-high 17 rebounds.
"We know Adamson will defend Arwind (Santos) well so I told him to just play decoy and concentrate on defense," said Flores.
Jojo Hate and Patrick Cabahug paced the Falcons with 12 and 10 points, respectively, with Ken Bono, like Santos, struggling with poor shooting. He went 2-of-15 from the field.
It was Adamson’s first loss in two starts.
With the bull-strong Isip, who has delayed turning pro for one more crack at a title, dominating the paint, the Tams roared to a 20-10 first quarter lead, an advantage the Falcons quickly cut down to a point, 21-22, early in the second period.
Then, the Tamaraws went on a roar again.