Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
After a resounding win over the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons in their season opener, the Adamson Falcons were given a dose of reality when the Far Eastern U Tamaraws grounded them, 75-65, Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
And for rookie guard Jerrick Ahanmisi, he thinks butterflies decided to fly around the Falcons’ collective stomach.
“We needed to stick to coach Franz’s [Pumaren] system, and we were getting a little nervous because it was a close game,” said Ahanmisi, who finished with 19 points and five rebounds in a 75-65 loss to the defending champions.
Adamson never established any momentum in the game with the Tamaraws pretty much controlling the tempo of the match, especially in the second half.
FEU took a 66-56 lead late in the fourth but Robbie Manalang cut it to single digits, 66-59, with a triple.
Manalang’s three, however, was Adamson’s last glimmer of hope.
“I think we had a couple of lapses on defense and we weren’t playing like when we did against UP,” said Ahanmisi, whose team bludgeoned the Fighting Maroons, 104-85, in its opener. “It was fairly difficult but we just had to stick to our game.”/rga