Ray Allen Torres lived up to his name, draining the game-winning triple to lift Adamson University over the University of the Philippines, 62-59, in the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament on Wednesday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
With the game tied at 59 following Harold Alarcon’s lay-in with 22.2 seconds left, Soaring Falcons head coach Nash Racela called a timeout to draw up a final play.
Adamson opted to push the ball the length of the floor, starting the possession with Matty Erolon before giving it to Torres for the last shot.
Faced with tight defense from Gerry Abadiano, Torres went one-on-one and pulled up from three-point range, giving Adamson the 62-59 lead with 2.8 seconds remaining.
“During halftime, that’s what we told the players, we have to grind this game out, that was really expected. From start to finish dikdikan. I don’t really know what to say about the officiating. Gulong gulo kami kanina, we wanted to adjust to the referees but medyo naguguluhan kami buti na lang ‘yung players were able to deliver,” said Racela.
“‘Yung last play kasi sabi dalhin lang ni Matty ‘yung bola sa gitna and then last five seconds ibigay sa akin pero nung nasa akin na ‘yung bola, block out na lahat, tinanggal ko lahat ng emotions ko, nag-focus lang ako sa tira ko,” said Torres, who finished with 10 points.
With no timeouts left, UP handed the ball to Terrence Fortea, but he could not get off a proper shot, leaving the reigning champions at 0-2—their worst start since Season 79, when they opened 0-3. The Fighting Maroons had also lost their opener to the UST Growling Tigers, 87-67.
Adamson, meanwhile, leveled its record to 1-1, bouncing back from a narrow 60-58 defeat to the De La Salle Green Archers in their opener. The Soaring Falcons aim to carry this momentum into their matchup with Ateneo de Manila University on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“This first week is very challenging for us,” said Racela. “Hopefully, we play well on Sunday.”
Adamson built a 10-point lead early in the payoff period, 49-39, but UP fought back to tie it at 57, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.
AJ Fransman contributed 10 points and eight rebounds for Adamson, while Cedrick Manzano and Mathew Montebon added eight points each. Manzano fouled out with 1:30 remaining, and confusion followed as the team played the next 20 seconds with just four men on the court.
Abadiano led UP with 15 points, while Alarcon and Gani Stevens added 12 and 10 points, respectively.
The Fighting Maroons will continue their search for a breakthrough win on Sunday against the University of the East Red Warriors.
The Scores:
AdU (62) – Fransman 10, Torres 10, Manzano 8, Montebon 8, Anabo 6, A. Ronzone 6, Erolon 6, Barcelona 3, Demisana 2, Medina 2, Tumaneng 1, Perez 0, C. Ronzone 0, Ojarikre 0.
UP (59) – Abadiano 15, Alarcon 12, Stevens 10, Nnoruka 8, Palanca 4, Torres 4, Fortea 4, Bayla 2, Remogat 0, Felicilda 0, Belmonte 0, Yniguez 0,Alter 0.
Quarterscores: 15-13, 26-24, 46-39, 62-59
