Falcons rip Maroons apart

Adamson drew strength from Ken Bono as it ripped University of the Philippines, 76-68, yesterday to close in on its first ever Final Four stint in the 69th UAAP basketball tournament at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Bono, the MVP statistical race leader, bulldozed his way to a career and season best 33 points as the Falcons moved up to a third place alongside the Santo Tomas Tigers with 4-5 (win-loss) slates.

Idle Ateneo de Manila and University of the East tow the field with 8-0 and 7-2 cards.

The Maroons had no answer to Bono inside, no thanks to the suspension of starting center Ira Buyco, who hit Ateneo’s Macky Escalona in the face in their previous game.

With Buyco out, the Maroons, who last won a title exactly a decade ago also under their present coach Joe Lipa, were outrebounded, 46-52, the bulk of it coming from the frontline duo of Bono and Roel Hugnatan.

The loss dealt a big blow to UP’s semifinal chances as it fell to its fifth straight defeat and eighth overall in 10 outings.

"It helped that Buyco was suspended," said Adamson coach Leo Austria, who is hoping to send the Marcelino-based school to its first appearance in the next phase since the Final Four format was introduced a decade ago.

With Bono almost unstoppable inside, the Falcons dictated the pace but couldn’t pull away.

Ahead by just four points, Adamson unleashed a 12-5 run to pad its lead to 11, 66-55, with less than six minutes to go.

Marvin Cruz, who is coming off the league’s first triple-double effort in his team’s loss to Ateneo, had six of UP’s next eight points to cut it down to 63-66 before Bono came through with a pair of baskets to seal it.

"He’s going for the MVP award but his priority is his team first before anything else," said Austria of his hefty, 6’5" center from Iloilo.

In juniors action, UPIS averted a shutout for the Diliman-based cagers when it brought down UE, 91-81; Adamson overpowered NU, 109-72; and Ateneo outplayed FEU, 87-64.