Photo by UAAP Season 84 Media Team
The Adamson Soaring Falcons have faced another fall as they met the De La Salle Green Archers for their final opponent in the first round of UAAP Season 84 men’s basketball with a 61-58 at the Mall of Asia Arena on April 9.
Jerom Lastimosa soared high for the nth time for Adamson University securing a score of 15 and seven assists— following the 11 points and rebounds, along with three blocks of Lenda Douanga.
Despite the points they contributed, the loss of the San Marcelino-based Falcons led them to their sixth and fifth consecutive loss since their game with the Ateneo Blue Eagles, which leaves them to 1-6 and the Green Archers to 5-2.
After La Salle put a 10-point gap between Adamson during the third quarter of the game, Falcon rookie Didat Hanapi carried the team to tie the score to 45 with a shot outside the arc in the fourth quarter.
Moreover, the Soaring Falcons continued to strengthen their defense and became the lead for a while.
However, the combination of Lastimosa and Douanga that put the Falcons to 54-55 soon came crashing down as Green Archer Schonny Winston made his way for a sure lay-up.
With 18.2 seconds left on the clock, La Salle’s Evan Nelle widened the score gap after shooting his shot for a three-pointer.
Even in the face of the pressure from the time left, Falcon Keith Zaldivar did not let his guard down and still scored a three-point shot before his team made a foul that gave the Green Archer the chance to rise further during their two successful free throws— onto 61-58.
As the Soaring Falcons tried to escape yet another flunk by Lastimosa passing the ball to Zaldivar for a buzzer-beater shot beyond the arc, Green Archer Justine Baltazar had instantly managed to block their chance and ended the game with his team as the conqueror.
La Salle absorbed their fifth win, finishing the first round of eliminations in third place with a 5-2 record, while Adamson fell to seventh place at 1-6.
Moving on from the first round, the Adamson Soaring Falcons will still have the chance to fight their way to the final four as the second round begins on April 12.
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