The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons survived a late comeback charge from the Adamson Soaring Falcons to secure their fourth straight victory, 73-71, at the Mall of Asia Arena on April 5.
The maroon shirts fell prey to an emphatic defense by Adamson in the opening stretch of the game. UP’s poor shooting display limited the squad to only 13 points in the first quarter, with a nine-point deficit to the Soaring Falcons.
But in the second quarter, State U doubled their scoring output with big scoring runs and pivotal three-point shooting sprees to tie the game at halftime, 39-all.
While UP started the latter half of the game with fine form, they were still within striking distance of the Soaring Falcons. By the end of the third quarter, both teams were still on level terms.
With close to nine seconds left in the closing stretch, Adamson’s Jerom Lastimosa missed a potential game-winning three-point shot, opening the door for UP to win its fourth match of the season.
UP Men’s Basketball Team players Malick Diouf and Zav Lucero, and head coach Goldwin Monteverde faced the press after their fourth win of the season against the Adamson Soaring Falcons on April 5.
Birthday boy Zav Lucero was unstoppable with 20 points on top of five rebounds, four assists and three steals — another stellar showing for the Filipino-American standout.
Meanwhile, Malick Diouf played his best game for State U with a remarkable double-double performance. The center player racked up 16 points and 15 rebounds to keep the squad’s impressive win streak intact.
Held at the cusp of defeat, Lucero highlighted the importance of each win, especially as the second round of the tournament draws near.
“It wasn’t our best performance but every win counts. Coach Gold always tells us that it only takes one point to win a game. We have big games coming up so it’s time to move on to the next one and try to get [another win] on Thursday,” said Lucero.
That day, on April 7, the Fighting Maroons will continue the hunt for a fifth consecutive win to improve their 4-1 record. They will face the De La Salle University Green Archers, who share an identical win-loss record.
QUARTER SCORES: 13-22, 39-39, 55-53, 73-71
