Adamson Baby Falcons vs Ateneo Blue Eaglets. UAAP PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Adamson banked on a blistering second half to knock out Ateneo, 84-75, and advance to the second phase of the UAAP Season 82 juniors’ basketball stepladder Wednesday.
The Baby Falcons soared in the fourth quarter with a crazy 18-2 run that Jake Figueroa capped off with a layup for a 75-60 lead with 5:53 left.
LeBron Lopez and Forthsky Padrigao helped the Blue Eaglets cut down the lead to nine, 79-70, but they failed to convert down the stretch and allowed the Baby Falcons to hold on.
“By halftime, we committed to a tougher defense, they [Blue Eaglets] had their way in the first half and we relaxed during that time,” said Adamson head coach Mike Fermin in Filipino.
“We agreed that we would make life difficult for them in the second half and that clicked for us. Once that started, we eventually got our offense going.”
Rookie MVP Figueroa finished with 15 points, 22 rebounds, four assists, four blocks, and two steals to lead the Baby Falcons while John Erolon had 16 points with five boards and five dimes.
Ruzzell Dominguez had his own double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds while Joshua Barcelona had the bare minimum for the stat-line with 10 points and 10 boards.
Padrigao had 22 points and reight rebounds to lead Ateneo while Lopez added 13 points and seven blocks.
The Baby Falcons will face FEU-Diliman, which has a twice-to-beat advantage, in the second phase of the stepladder that will be played on a latter date after all UAAP events were postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The win also gave Adamson a spot in the 2020 Chooks-to-Go National Basketball Training Center National Finals.