JERRICK Ahanmisi may have led Adamson in scoring and Papi Sarr the one who drained the go-ahead bucket, but the Falcons' 74-70 upset of powerhouse Ateneo wouldn't have been possible if not for rookie Jerom Lastimosa.
The 5-foot-10 guard was exactly the spark Adamson needed on Sunday as he provided the energy in a brave run late in the first half which the Falcons rode on the way to the shock upset to kick off the UAAP men's basketball season.
Coming in with 1:35 remaining in the first half, Lastimosa ignited a 11-0 finishing kick capped by Ahanmisi's shot from halfcourt that gave the Falcons the lead at halftime, 40-39.
Lastimosa, who is not related to the famous basketball clan led by Jolas, scored all of his six points in that stretch.
"Jerom was a big spark for us. He's a great player, as you can see, and he can help us in many ways on defense and offense. That spark really kicked it out for us," Ahnamisi said.
Lastimosa, who also grabbed three rebounds and four assists to start his UAAP career on a high, was simply glad to be of help.
"Sila yung defending champion pero kinaya namin kahit malakas sila," he said. "Sobrang blessed lang ako na ginagamit ako nila coach at binigyan nila ako ng time na mahaba. Ginawa ko lang yung tama na ipinapagawa nila."
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