Adamson dumps JRU; LFS scores

ADAMSON and La Finns Scholastica pulled off contrasting victories to move up the Sweet 16 ladder of the Philippine Collegiate Champions League yesterday at First Asia Institute of Technology and Humanities (Faith) gym in Tanauan, Batangas.

The Falcons rode on a huge third-quarter run to dump Jose Rizal University, 79-54, at the start of the nationwide tournament’s knockout phase.

Jansen Rios had 15 points and seven rebounds to lead the Falcons, who opened the second half with a 24-6 outburst to pull away from the Bombers, 57-33, after a 33-27 halftime lead.

Earlier, Jonathan Graycochea took charge in the endgame as the LFS Lions Hearts slipped past University of Batangas, 89-86.

Graycochea knocked in nine of his 15 points in the last seven minutes where the Lion Hearts rallied from 11 points down, 66-77, against the Brahmans.

The 5-foot-8 guard also grabbed 13 boards for the Lion Hearts, the La Union-based squad that earned a slot after ruling the North-Central Luzon regional qualifiers.

Rodney Brondial and rookie Jericho Cruz also helped the Falcons sustain their hot-shooting form in the second half along with Roider Cabrera and Lloyd Abrigo.

The Bombers sorely missed Byron Villarias from the scoring equation as the veteran guard wound up scoreless just a day after exploding for 35 points in the qualifiers.

Adamson and La Finns quickly head back into action today as they clash in another do-or-die duel at 2 p.m., before La Salle and Perpetual Help kick off their Sweet 16 bid at 4 p.m. also in Tanauan.

It will be the fifth straight game in as many days for the Falcons, who topped the Metro Manila qualifiers along with the Bombers.

“It’s difficult because we’re taking the longer route,” said Adamson coach Leo Austria. “But we’ve been playing sharp because of our exposure in the Unigames [recently in Bacolod].”

La Salle’s freshman star Jeron Teng expects his team to put on a strong showing even if the Archers haven’t competed since their Final Four stint in the UAAP over a month ago.

“We’re ready,” said Teng, this season’s UAAP Rookie of the Year.
“We didn’t compete in the Unigames but we’ve been practicing really hard to prove that we can also do great here.”

Perpetual Help coach Aric del Rosario hopes the Altas can pull off an upset after their surprise semifinal stint in the NCAA.

“This is the first time we’re going to meet La Salle and we’re expecting it to be tough,” said Del Rosario.

The Sweet 16 contenders battle in a knockout, stepladder format in a bid to reach the Final Four, where five-time UAAP champion Ateneo and three-time National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) titlist San Beda are seeded.