Falcons clip Archers, get no. 3 seed.
Manila, Philippines – Not just contented of entering the Final Four, the Adamson Falcons overcame an early 12-point hole to hack out a 69-64 victory on Thursday and seized the no.3 seed in the UAAP Season 73 men’s basketball at the Araneta Coliseum.
Austin Manyara saved his best game of the season in this all important game that may determine both team’s chances of landing in the Finals.
Manyara, a 6-foot-5 mobile big man from Kenya, threw his weight underneath the boards as he hauled down career-bests 17 boards, 11 points and blocked two shots in leading the Falcons to the come-from-behind victory.
The Archers, actually, started like a house on fire zooming to an early 14-2 lead. But a series of adjustments brought Leo Austria’s Falcons back into the game and had them taking the lead, 33-30, on Roider Cabrera’s three-pointer, one of Adamson’s season-high 11 rainbow connections, towards the end of the second canto.
“Alam ko na malakas ang La Salle sa first quarter dahil sa energy nila pero I told the boys to just relax and stick to our game plan. When I saw that they put in their second stringers, that’s the time I played with my first stringers and we were able to get back,” Austria said.
The Falcons, behind starters Jerick Canada and Alex Nuyles and seldom-used Allen Etrone, built their biggest lead in the third period, 57-43. The trio combined for 16 of the team’s 24 points in that stretch while Adamson’s smothering defense held down La Salle to just 13.
The Archers, however, refused to give up and they staged one last run in the fourth period as they came within three, 59-62, on rookie Luigi dela Paz’s three-pointer.
It was at this juncture when Manyara re-asserted his might. The Kenyan import battled for the rebound in the ensuing play like a tireless work horse and on his third tip, the basket went in that extended Adamson’s lead to five, 64-59, with 2:19 left.
La Salle’s Jovet Mendoza converted an alley-oop pass from rookie Almond Vosotros in the next play to slice the lead again to three. But Manyara proved to be the biggest stumbling block to the Archers’ comeback trail as he grabbed another offensive rebound and was fouled in the process.
Manyara’s charities gave Adamson a 66-61 cushion heading into the final 31.7 seconds. And the Archers ran out of time chasing the Falcons with Lester Alvarez and Nuyles icing the game at the stripes.
The win gave the Falcons the no.3 seeding and more importantly, the momentum heading into a Final Four meeting with the loser of the Saturday showdown between the top two teams – Far Eastern University Tamaraws (11-2) and defending champion Ateneo Blue Eagles (10-3).
It marked the first time under Austria that the Falcons, which finished with a 9-5 record, have beaten the Archers twice in a season. They were also the first team to hold the Archers to zero fastbreak point since 2003, the year that statistics were computerized by Imperium Tehcnology.
“This win is very important for us because no matter what happens [in the Final Four], we’re no. 3 and that’s a big leap from our top 5 finish last season. But whoever we play in the Final Four, we’ll be focused dahil ito na ang pinakahihintay namin, ayaw naming sayangin,” Austria said.
La Salle, on the other hand, lost their sixth in 14 games and wound up with the no. 4 seeding that accompany the tall odds of having to beat the top team twice in the Final Four.
Vosotros, who pegged the final count with a three-pointer before the buzzer, led the Archers with 13 points and four assists.
The Scores:
AdU 69 – Manyara 11, Alvarez 11, Nuyles 9, Cabrera 9, Etrone 8, Canada 8, Camson 7, Stinnett 2, Monteclaro 2, Galinato 2, Brondial 0, Lozada 0, Colina 0, Basilio 0.
DLSU 64 – Vosotros 13, Marata 11, Dela Paz 9, Mendoza 8, Andrada 7, Villanueva 4, Webb 3, Reyes 2, Tampus 2, Paredes 2, Atkins 2, Ferdinand 1, Elorde 0, Tolentino 0, Banal 0.
Quarters: 15-18, 33-30, 57-43, 69-64.
