Josiah Israel Albelda, Thursday, September 01, 2011.
It was the same, old story for the University of the East Red Warriors.
The Recto-based squad went neck-to-neck with powerhouse Adamson University for almost three quarters but did not have enough gas as the Soaring Falcons drubbed them, 76-57, in the 74th UAAP men’s basketball tournament today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Not unlike their past three games, UE kept abreast with the more talented Adamson side but then the young Warriors fizzled out anew and unraveled in the third as the Falcons trooped to their ninth win in 12 matches.
The victory brought the San Marcelino-based five closer to the much-coveted second seed and an important twice-to-beat advantage as the Final Four looms.
“We did not execute our plays well. This is not the right attitude going into the playoffs,” Coach Leo Austria told reporters. “Andun yung overconfidence ng mga bata knowing that we can beat them with an average game.”
Adamson fell behind early, seemingly firing blanks in the first half when they drained only 11 of their 40 shots. But the Falcons regrouped in the last 20 minutes and sank 19 of 29 attempts (65.5%) on the way to sending the Warriors to their 10th loss in 12 games.
“I’m happy dahil nakinig sila nung second half,” Austria said. “Nung umpisa kase, they were thinking of scoring first.”
Junior forward Eric Camson pushed his case for the Most Improved Player award after tying his career high of 20 points and 15 rebounds. The Batangas native also blocked two shots while shooting 64.3% from the field.
High-flying guard Alex Nuyles dazzled with an all-around performance anew, posting 17 markers, six rebounds, five assists and two steals while Lester Alvarez chipped in with 10 points.
Adamson broke free from a close game with a 15-3 run starring Nuyles that turned a 36-37 deficit to a 51-40 lead to end the third quarter.
Then the Falcons continued to pound the Warriors no end in the final canto, pummeling the hapless UE side and even erecting their biggest lead at 76-50 after a Jansen Rios basket with a minute left.
Even with Austin Manyara absent from patrolling the lane, Adamson was unstoppable on the boards, where they dominated the Warriors, 54-38. The Kenyan missed his first game of the season after a contusion he suffered from a collision with Nuyles in their game against University of the Philippines last weekend.
“He’s not 100%,” Austria shared. “He had an MRI earlier. We don’t want to aggravate his injury.”
After a string of tentative outings, Paul Zamar led UE with 17 points and two assists even as forwards Adrian Santos and Biboy Enguio contributed six markers apiece.
The scores:
Adamson (76) - Camson 20, Nuyles 17, Alvarez 10, Cabrera 9, Brondial 8, Lozada 7, Rios 2, Colina 2, Canada 1, Petilos 0, Agustin 0, Olalia 0, Monteclaro 0, Etrone 0
UE (57) - Zamar 17, Santos 6, Enguio 6, Casajeros 5, Noble 5, Tagarda 4, Duran 4, Zosa 3, Sabangan 2, Sumido 2, Flores 2, Javier 1, Sumang 0, De Leon 0
Quarters: 17-14, 27-28, 51-40, 76-57