Falcons nip Bombers; Blazers win

CRIS Mendoza of Jose Rizal University grabs the rebound in the Bombers’ game against Adamson yesterday. RODEL ROTONI

GAMES MONDAY (Filoil Flying V Arena)
1:45 p.m.—UE vs Perpetual
3:30 p.m.—UST vs Letran
5:15 p.m.—La Salle vs Mapua

RYAN Monteclaro capped Adamson’s comeback with two clutch free throws as the Falcons slipped past the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers, 71-70, in the Filoil Flying V Preseason Hanes Cup yesterday at the Filoil Flying V Arena.

The thrilling triumph pushed the Falcons to a share of fourth with their victims at 3-4 and kept them in the running for a quarterfinal berth in Group B.

St. Benilde later matched that 3-4 slate as the Blazers turned back the Lyceum Pirates, 78-71, in the second game.

Mark Romero topscored with 18 points, half of them coming from three-point range, while Carlo Lastimosa and Luis Sinco combined for 31 markers.

“We have to do a good job in finishing the games,” said St. Benilde coach Richard del Rosario.

Monteclaro sank his two free throws with 5.8 seconds left for, 71-67, before JRU’s Nate Matute nailed a buzzer-beating triple for the final tally.

“I’m happy to see my players delivering at crunch time,” said Adamson coach Leo Austria. “We were lucky to have survived the defensive pressure of JRU.”

Jericho Cruz sparked the Falcons’ second-half comeback to finish with a team-high 19 points, while Eric Camson added 18 points on top of 14 rebounds and three blocks.

The Pirates skidded to their seventh loss in eight outings. With reports from Jan Ballesteros and Randolph Leongson

The scores:

First Game

ADAMSON 71—Cruz 19, Camson 18, Cabrera 12, Brondial 11, Nules 5, Monteclaro 4, Julkipli 2, Cabigas 0, Trollano 0, Abrigo 0, Rios 0, Etrone 0, Olalia 0, Bernabe 0, Agustin 0, Petilos 0.

JRU 70—Mabulac 23, Matute 13, Villarias 7, Monserat 7, Carampil 6, Dela Paz 6, Lopez 4, Mendoza 3, Almario 1, Salaveria 0, Camasura 0, Munez 0.

Quarters: 23-26, 33-38, 51-51, 71-70

Second Game

ST. BENILDE 78–Romero 18, C. Lastimosa 16, Sinco 15, Tan 6, Bartolo 6, Tolentino 6, Grey 3, Deles 3, Ongteco 2, Carlos 2, Taha 1, Altamirano 0, Garcia 0, Maconocido 0, Dela Paz 0.

LYCEUM 71–Ko 19, Guevarra 18, Cayabyab 12, Zamora 6, Laude 5, Francisco 4, Mendoza 3, Azores 2, Pascual 2, Garcia 0, Ambohot 0, Edding 0, Mallari 0.

Quarters: 27-18, 39-26, 57-49, 78-71