ADAMSON put the clamps on a University of the East side that once had a full head of steam for a gritty 45-37 decision on Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena.
The Soaring Falcons held the Red Warriors to five points in the final frame, while scoring 12 of their own to seal the deal in their fourth win in 11 games in the UAAP Season 87 men's basketball tournament.
In all, Adamson allowed just 15 field goals out of 57 attempts, including a 3-of-24 mark from threes, while also forcing 21 turnovers.
That was all that was needed for the San Marcelino side to snap a five-game skid and revive its flailing Final Four hopes.
"We are where we wanna be. We're just a game behind UST for No. 4. That's what we wanted, para lang magka-legit chance kami. We'll just keep on pushing," said head coach Nash Racela.
Matty Erolon and AJ Fransman then took care of the offense, with the former tallying 14 points built on four triples and the latter recording 14 markers on top of nine rebounds.
Cedrick Manzano, ever the rock for the Soaring Falcons, also delivered 12 points and 11 boards, as they finally responded to Racela's call the last time around for just a little extra.
UE never gets going
Still, defense was at the core of Adamson's much-needed win, as the Red Warriors' 37-point output is the first time a team failed to breach 40 points since 2019 when Far Eastern University scored just 39 against National University.
Precious Momowei was the only player to get to double-figures for the red-and-white with 12, but shot 5-of-13 from the field and committed nine of his team's 20 turnovers.
The loss puts a dent on UE's plan to inch closer to ending its 15-year semifinal drought, after falling to a 6-4 slate and failing to replicate its 63-62 first-round thriller.
The Scores:
ADAMSON 45 - Fransman 14, Erolon 14, Manzano 12, Montebon 3, Anabo 2, Calisay 0, Yerro 0, Barasi 0, Ramos 0, Mantua 0, Ojarikre 0.
UE 37 - Momowei 12, Fikes 9, Abate 8, Lingolingo 5, Maga 2, Spandonis 1, Galang 0, J. Cruz-Dumont 0, H. Cruz-Dumont 0, Mulingtapang 0, Wilson 0, Go 0, Finney 0, Robles 0.
Quarters: 13-12, 22-19, 33-32, 45-37.
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