The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons’ historic eight-game win streak comes to a bitter end after they succumbed to the Adamson Soaring Falcons, 66-58, at the Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday.
The maroon shirts’ offense was stifled by Adamson as the latter charged for an early 13-5 lead in the first quarter. As UP was struggling to overcome their shooting slump in the second frame, the Soaring Falcons widened the gap to 17 big points.
State U attempted to bounce back with a 6-0 run but still trailed by eight points at halftime. Scoring three out of 28 three-point attempts in the game, UP misfired most of their shots.
The maroon-and-white fought back in the third frame as they capitalized on Adamson’s turnovers. But the Soaring Falcons, who were seeking redemption from their first round loss from UP, had no plans to surrender ahead of the final frame.
With only 28 seconds left, State U was unable to bring their late-game heroics into play. Adamson’s Jerom Lastimosa hit a clutch three-pointer to pull away from the Fighting Maroons and halt UP’s historic eight-game win streak.
Co-captain Ricci Rivero led the team’s losing effort with 14 points, five rebounds and two steals, with Carl Tamayo contributing 12 points to their total output.
On the flipside, Lastimosa and Ahmad Hanapi led Adamson’s charge with 13 and 12 points apiece, extending their win streak to three games.
UP Men’s Basketball Team head coach Goldwin Monteverde faced the media after a tough loss to Adamson on April 21.
After the loss, Fighting Maroons head coach Goldwin Monteverde said the team must push for consistency to sustain their winning form.
“Kahit mag-start strong kami, kung hindi naman consistent yung laro, wala ring pupuntahan. Ang concern namin ngayon is to be consistent with our game. We really need to work on that pa,” Monteverde said.
The Fighting Maroons seek to re-enter the win column and clinch a third consecutive Final Four berth as they take on the DLSU Green Archers on Saturday.
QUARTER SCORES: 20-12, 36-28, 47-44, 66-58
