Falcons humble Tigers to cap off first round of elims

MANILA, Philippines — The Adamson Soaring Falcons finished off the first round of the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament with two straight wins after swooping down on the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers, 69-59, Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Adamson showcased a defensive masterclass to force UST to score their season-low in points in a game.

AJ Fransman provided the spark off the bench with 18 points, two rebounds and an assist, while Ced Manzano had 12 markers and eight boards.

The Falcons broke the game open in the second quarter, as they unleashed a 22-9 frame to grab a 38-25 advantage at the half.

This put the dangerous Tigers on comeback mode the entire game, but they could not claw out of the hole against the gritty Adamson squad.

UST was able to slice the deficit to five, 50-55, with 7:55 remaining, but the Falcons' stellar defense and rebounding kept their foes at bay.

After a pair of free throws by Manzano pushed them to a 67-59 lead, huge misses by Nic Cabanero and Forthsky Padrigao could not pull the Tigers nearer as Austin Ronzone connected on the layup with time winding down to set the final score.

Ray Allen Torres chipped in 10 points for the Falcons, who hauled down a whopping 21 offensive rebounds and a total of 50 boards.

Cabanero paced UST with 23 points to go with five rebounds and two steals on an efficient 9-of-15 shooting. Collins Akowe backstopped with 10 points and 16 rebounds.

Adamson thus finished off the first round with a 3-4 win-loss record, while UST’s three-game win streak was snapped as the the Tigers dropped to 5-2, good for solo second.