Falcons pip Archers, 68-66, in thrilling UAAP duel

Alex Nuyles shook off Jarelan Tampus before draining a tough turn around shot with 0.8 tenths of a second left to power Adamson to a pulsating 68-66 win over De La Salle University Sunday in one of the most thrilling games of the 74th UAAP men’s basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum.

The six-foot-two Nuyles finished with an all-around effort of 14 points, nine rebounds, five assists, one steal and a block while Eric Camson topscored with 20 points.

The Falcons, who surged to a blistering 24-2 run that turned a seven-point deficit to a 35-20 halftime lead, went back into their old scrambling form as they squandered a 22-point spread, 52-30, they built at the 2:45 mark of the third quarter.

The Green Archers, down but not out, blitzed to a 25-8 blast of their own capped by a left corner threepointer from Luigi de la Paz off a well drawn play coming off the timeout that knotted the game at 66 with 15.8 ticks remaining.

La Salle, which is now tied with Far Eastern U and University of Santo Tomas in third place toting identical 4-4 slates, mapped out one last play to forge extra session but Nuyles was there to disrupt the attempted lob to de la Paz as time expired.

Adamson, known for its sturdy defense and decent halfcourt game, held La Salle to just two points in the second quarter with its lone basket coming at the 1:01 mark.

The Archers led, 18-11, at the end of the first period courtesy of a Jarelan Tampus basket before going cold in the ensuing period.