UAAP: Montebon finds redemption in Adamson’s OT escape

UAAP SCHEDULE: Season 88 basketball tournament

Adamson Falcons’ Monty Montebon during a game against UST Growling Tigers in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament. –UAAP PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–Monty Montebon had a rough start in Adamson’s second-round encounter with the University of Santo Tomas in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament.

The sweet-shooting guard made up for it in the best way possible, helping the Soaring Falcons outlast the Growling Tigers, 97-96, in overtime at Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday.

READ: UAAP: Matt Erolon lifts Adamson past UST in OT thriller

Even Montebon himself was surprised by how Adamson clawed its way back against UST.

“Honestly, I thought the game was a bit out of reach, but coach told us to keep playing until the end of the whistle,” he said. “We did just that and everyone made the right plays. I was able to make those threes and force overtime.”

Montebon finished with 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting, with none bigger than his late-game heroics to end regulation.

The streaky shooter took matters into his own hands, scoring six of Adamson’s last nine points, including the game-tying triple with five seconds left that forced overtime. The Falcons were down by eight, 88-80, with just 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

Even coach Nash Racela lauded Montebon’s composure in shaking off his early struggles to give Adamson another shot in the extra period.

“That’s one thing that Monty struggles with, playing the next possession, but today, he forgot about that,” Racela said. “Regardless of what’s behind you, whether it’s good or bad, what’s important is what’s in front.”

Montebon’s clutch performance lifted Adamson to the upper half of the standings with a 5-4 record.