JARL Artango and Chrys Gomez came through in the clutch, as Adamson stunned erstwhile-unbeaten Ateneo, 77-73, to notch its third win in the UAAP Season 88 boys’ basketball tournament on Thursday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Gomez sank a timely midrange jumper that pushed the Baby Falcons’ lead to 76-70 with 2:09 remaining, setting the stage for consecutive turnovers by the Blue Eagles. Artango then sealed the upset with a dagger free throw in the dying moments.
Meanwhile, Cabs Cabonilas put on a dominant display, tallying 21 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks, as FEU-Diliman cruised to its fourth straight win with a 79-61 dismantling of De La Salle Zobel.
The contrasting victories leave FEU-Diliman sharing first place with Ateneo, both holding 5-1 records, while Adamson returned to the win column and improved to 3-3.
“This win comes with maturity talaga. We’re just pounding them and instilling in them na dapat every game or every training, you treat this like your last. Ang lagi lang namin iniisip, wala kami sa top four ngayon. ‘Yun nagfu-fuel sa amin to be better,” Baby Falcons head coach Mike Fermin said.
Artango finished with 24 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals, while Gomez contributed 13 points, five steals, two rebounds, and one assist.
Jude Eriobu led the losing effort for the Blue Eagles with 27 points, 27 rebounds, four blocks, and one steal, followed by Noah Banal with 11 points, six rebounds, and one assist. Ziv Espinas added 11 points and seven rebounds, as Jay-M Leal contributed nine points, five assists, four rebounds, one steal, and one block.
FEU-D now at joint first
In the earlier game, the Baby Tamaraws charged to a dominant third quarter. JB Cagurungan opened the second half with eight straight points before Cabonilas, Marc Burgos, and Khean Esperanza led a 22-4 run to stretch their lead to 63-37.
Burgos finished with 11 points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block, while Cagurungan added 11 points on three triples, with five rebounds and one block. Esperanza contributed 10 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and two steals, as Pat Sohm rounded out FEU-D’s balanced attack with six points and three rebounds.
For DLSZ, Maco Dabao was limited to 16 points on 6-of-21 shooting, but added six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block. Nigerian center Yusuf Mikailu delivered a double-double with 11 points, 16 rebounds, five blocks, and one steal.
NU-Nazareth School and defending champion University of Santo Tomas then delivered contrasting performances ahead of their finals rematch.
The Bullpups narrowly avoided a 19-point collapse in the fourth quarter, relying on clutch plays from Chad Cartel and Malian center Moussa Diakite to secure a hard-fought 84-78 win over University of the East.
Meanwhile, Jetlee Melano was unstoppable for the Tiger Cubs, firing 25 points on 9-of-10 shooting with four rebounds in just over 14 minutes, leading his side to a dominant 112-57 rout of winless University of the Philippines Integrated School, snapping a two-game skid in the process.
With the win, the Bullpups claimed solo third at 4-2, while UST now sits tied with UE at 2-4 for fifth, as both teams prepare for their finals rematch on Sunday at the Adamson Gym to close the first round.
Cartel led NUNS with 17 points, all but one in the first half, adding four rebounds, four assists, and two blocks, while Diakite finished with 12 points, 20 rebounds, two blocks, and an assist.
For the Jr. Warriors, Aguas was the lone double-digit scorer with 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting, along with eight rebounds, two blocks, an assist, and a steal.
UST captain Kirk Canete recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 assists, adding five rebounds and five steals, while Nigerian Ola Ajani contributed 14 points, 13 rebounds, three steals, two assists, and a block.
For the Jr. Maroons, Gilas Boys forward Jhustin Hallare showed the way with 18 points, seven rebounds, and three assists, while Bruce Tubongbanua had 11 points, 13 rebounds, and an assist.
The Scores:
First Game:
FEU-DILIMAN 79 - Cabonilas 21, Burgos 11, Cagurungan 11, Esperanza 10, Sohm 6, Raneses 4, Hall 4, Carino 4, Gaye 4, Alagaban 4, D. Santos 2, J. Santos 0, Enriquez 0, Dagcutan 0.
DLSZ 61 - Dabao 16, Mikailu 11, Favis 7, Arejola 5, Borrero 5, Ferrer 5, Atienza 4, Llamas 4, Luna 3, A. Alpapara 1, O. Alpapara 0, Reyes 0, Tan 0, Dimayuga 0.
Quarters: 21-10, 41-33, 63-41, 79-61.
Second Game:
ADAMSON 77 - Artango 24, Gomez 13, Bautista 10, Jenodia 8, Flores 8, Frogoso 6, Iledan 4, Babad 3, Garcia 1.
ATENEO 73 - Eriobu 27, Banal 11, Espinas 11, Leal 9, Madrangca 5, Gatmaitan 4, Kaw 4, Kallos 2, Lacsamana 0, Reyes 0, Jazul 0.
Quarters: 22-26, 47-36, 61-58, 77-73.
Third Game:
NUNS 84 - Cartel 17, Diakite 12, Cabantog 10, Lucido 9, Figueroa 9, Natinga 8, M. Matias 7, R. Matias 6, Juan 4, Bouzina 2.
UE 78 - Aguas 25, Diaz 9, Lorenzo 9, Roquid 8, Pascual 5, Edoukou 5, Timbol 5, Bual 4, Braga 3, Oraa 3, Delos Reys 2, Abellar 0, Orca 0.
Quarters: 23-11, 48-35, 72-60, 84-78.
Fourth Game:
UST 112 - Melano 25, Canete 17, Ajani 14, Ludovice 11, Acido 11, Canapi 6, Bathan 6, Cruz 5, Esteban 4, Sta. Maria 3, Vidanes 3, Lapastora 3, Bandigan 2, Pulongbarit 2, Candare 0, Bohol 0.
UPIS 57 - Hallare 18, Tubongbanua 11, Addatu 7, Lugatiman 6, M. Rosete 5, Poquiz 4, Pascual 3, Hernandez 3, Labao 0, Manguerra 0, Cobico 0.
Quarters: 33-17, 57-27, 83-36, 112-57.
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