WITH Jerom Lastimosa back in action, Adamson managed to reach the UAAP semifinals for the first time since 2018.
The 24-year-old guard suffered a right foot injury in the second round but returned to help lift the Falcons to the Final Four with an 80-76 win over La Salle in a playoff for the fourth spot. The performance earned Lastimosa the Player of the Week Citation from the Collegiate Press Corps.
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The 5-foot-10 combo went on an 11-0 run against La Salle that gave Adamson a 57-56 lead in the third period.
The Soaring Falcons held on, spoiling an Ateneo-La Salle semis showdown.
“We’re happy kasi kasi almost four years rin kaming hindi nakapasok sa Final Four. Now andito na kami sa Final Four, so i-grab namin tong opportunity na ito and focus on the next game and really pag-aralan talaga namin ‘yong Ateneo both offense and defense,” said Lastimosa, who added six assists and a steal on his decent 4-of-10 shooting clip from downtown.
“Sinabi ko sa teammates ko hindi pa tapos ‘yong game. Kasi La Salle up by 10 [in the third quarter], so talagang hindi kami maggi-give up talaga and ramdam na ramdam ko naman na sa amin itong Final Four,” he added.
Lastimosa was picked over Kai Ballungay of Ateneo, Evan Nelle of La Salle, and teammate AP Manlapaz for the award presented by the Philippine Sports Commission and San Miguel Corporation and also backed by MNL Kingpin, Tinapayan Festival, and Jockey.
It’s the second straight citation of Lastimosa for the weekly honor from print and online media covering the collegiate beat as Adamson arranged a duel against the top-seeded and twice-to-beat armed Ateneo starting this Wednesday.
Reigning champion and No. 2 University of the Philippines is in the other semis bracket against No. 3 National University.
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