Adamson gets 2nd win at the expense of UP

MANILA, Philippines — Adamson notched its second win of the season, besting University of the Philippines 75-70 Thursday in the 75th UAAP men’s basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The already out of contention Falcons held their ground from the beginning and never relinquished the lead despite several scoring spurts from the Maroons.

Jericho Cruz showcased his wide array of moves on the way to a 17-point performance while Eric Camson exploded early for 19 points and 14 rebounds.

Adamson, last year’s top two squad, is now at 2-8 and out of contention for the final four spot.

But despite the dismal record, coach Leo Austria is looking at the second round to hone the skills of his boys for the next season.

“Our goal every game is to show our system,” said Austria. “We just want a respectable finish.”

And Adamson is showing all sorts of improvement even as the season winds down, especially in the freethrow shooting department.

Adamson made five of its last six FT attempts, icing the game after a mini-rally by UP and completing a commendable shooting night at the stripe.

Alvin Padilla and Jet Manuel led UP, which missed nine freethrows and a whopping 19 three-point attempts, with 12 points apiece.

The Maroons reeled to their eight setback with just one victory, tying with University of the East at the bottom of the standings.