UP suffers another setback, loses big man to injury

UP big man Jerson Prado had to be carried on stretcher after sustaining a right knee injury in the second quarter of the Fighting Maroons’ game against the Adamson Falcons Sunday at Mall of Asia Arena. Jasmine W. Payo/INQUIRER

University of the Philippines just couldn’t catch a break.

After a disappointing turnout in Saturday’s UAAP Cheerdance Competition, the Fighting Maroons suffered another setback when it lost slotman Jerson Prado to a knee injury during a crucial game against the Adamson Falcons Sunday.

The rookie big man took a bad fall in a rebound play against the Falcons’ Cameroonian center Papi Sarr with 3:04 left in the second quarter.

Prado had to be stretchered off the floor and rushed to the nearest hospital with the initial prognosis from the medics at Mall of Asia Arena is a dislocation on his right knee.

The unfortunate incident also couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Maroons, who are in desperate need of a win to stop a four-game slide and are trailing the winless Falcons by 19, 47-28, at the half.

UP fought back and even took a one-point lead in the fourth quarter but the Maroons couldn’t hang on to it and went on to lose, 73-68, as the Falcons notched their first victory after starting the season with six consecutive defeats.

READ: Adamson posts first win, adds woes to UP

UP head coach Rency Bajar would later reveal after the game that Prado suffered a dislocated right patella.

Prado has been a revelation for UP. He had four points and nine rebounds before the injury.