Cedrick Manzano. Photo from Filoil
MANILA, Philippines—Adamson bucked a slow start and flipped the switch late to beat Mapua, 85-69, in Group A of the FilOil EcoOil Preseason Cup at San Juan Arena on Sunday.
Holding a narrow 60-56 lead heading into the fourth quarter, the Falcons went on a 10-1 run to pull away and stay comfortably in the driver’s seat until the final buzzer.
“Well, they started slow. Actually, very slow and then they turned it on the following minutes, but the challenge really is how they could turn it on for 40 minutes,” said Adamson head coach Nash Racela, whose squad climbed to 3-1.
Cedrick Manzano came up big for the Falcons, notching a double-double with 26 points and 12 rebounds while Jerom Lastimosa added 15 points.
Manzano scored 16 in the first half where Adamson took a 46-35 advantage after trailing by five in the opening period.
The Cardinals also had a comeback of their own, trimming a 15-point deficit in the third quarter to just one before the Falcons regained their form in the final frame.
Brian Lacap had 22 points for the NCAA Season 96 finalists while Toby Agustin tallied 14.