Adamson mauls UP, moves closer to Final 4 berth

Adamson vented its ire on hapless University of the Philippines, using a big first half scoring barrage and posting a convincing 74-51 victory on Thursday in the 73rd UAAP men's basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum.

After suffering a 71-63 loss at the hands of University of the East last Saturday, the Falcons made sure they will avert the upset ax, this time, against the winless Fighting Maroons. Holding on to a 7-6 lead midway in the opening period, the San Marcelino-based cagers used one big run behind triggered by their sizzling outside shooting, to erect a huge 29-point bubble before halftime. It was a one-sided win for Adamson, which held the Diliman-based squad to just 16 points after two quarters while scoring 41. From there, the Falcons were never seriously threatened and clinched their eighth win against three losses to move closer to a Final Four spot. The victory was a redeeming one for the Leo Austria-coached Adamson five, which surprisingly lost to UE last August 21. The Warriors snapped the Falcons' four-game winning run. "We were complacent because the players were surprised to see the team in this position. It's rare for the team to be in this position," said Austria, whose squad is enjoying its best start by any Adamson team since 1993. The Falcons can earn a Final Four berth with a win over Ateneo on Sunday. The defending champions, however, have beaten Adamson 26 straight times since 1997. "There's no need to relax after this game because we're still not in the Final Four," said Austria. Alex Nuyles rebounded from his so-so performance against UE, logging in 14 points and grabbing four rebounds, while Roider Cabrera finally had his breakout game this season, finishing with 13 markers, including three triples. Point guard Jerick Cañada came away with a double-double of 12 points and 10 assists, while Janus Lozada, another non-factor in Adamson's loss to UE, tallied 11 markers. UP fell to a dismal 0-11 slate and played only with 11 players minus rookie Mike Silungan, who sat out the game because of flu. Alvin Padilla served his one-game suspension imposed by commissioner Ato Badolato. Silungan and Padilla's absence compounded woes on the Maroons' already depleted line up. UP already missed Mark Lopez (ACL) and Woody Co (foot) for several games because of injuries. State U also suffered its 15th straight loss and has yet to win a game since beating La Salle on August 22, 2009. – JVP, GMANews.TV