Falcons snap losing skid, extend Maroons' winless streak to 10
Host Adamson finally snapped a long losing skid Saturday and kept its flickering Final Four hopes alive.
Even without ace gunner Jericho Cruz, the Falcons saw an end to a six-game losing streak by repeating over equally struggling University of the Philippines 67-53 that kept themin the hunt for a semifinals berth in the UAAP Season 76 men’s basketball tournament at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Ingrid Sewa re-sserted his usual dominance of 18 points–a career-high– plus 15 rebounds and three blocks while three other teammates contributed at least 11 markers as Adamson regained its winning ways after a month-long slide and improved to 4-8. Cruz, according to Adamson coach Leo Austria, has been under the weather the past few days.
The Fighting Maroons, who absorbed a 67-79 defeat against the Falcons in their initial meeting last June 30, got a double-double outing from center Raul Soyud but still remained winless after 10 outings.
The Main Man: If he would only assert himself on a consistent basis, Ingrid Sewa can become on the most unstoppable centers in the league. The hulking 6-foot-8 Cameroonian proved this again, banging in a career-best 18 points, eight of them coming in the payoff canto where the Falcons gained full control.
Honorable Mentions: On the lookout for an offensive punch with the absence of Jericho Cruz, veteran gunner Roider Cabrera responded to the call. The 6-foot-4 forward finished with 17 points, including six in the fourth to give Sewa a much-needed helping hand. Also coming up big was forward Jansen Rios, who had 16 markers, highlighted by a pair of big lay-ups in the stretch that fully shut the door on the stubborn Fighting Maroons.
Game Turning Point: After UP pulled within eight going into the last three minutes, Rios sparked Adamson’s jarring 8-2 windup by making back-to-back lay-ups.
He Said It:
Adamson coach Leo Austria: “This win gives us a big sigh of relief, especially on my part as a coach. Everyone’s starting to doubt my ability. I’m happy to see this team winning again. I hope we can play like this. We want to make a statement. Pride na lang pinaglalabanan dito. I’m happy to they are fighting back.” Ingrid is one of the key in this game because of his dominance.
The scores:
Adamson (67) – Sewa 18, Cabrera 17, Rios 16, Trollano 11, Inigo 4, Monteclaro 1, Petilos 0, Ochea 0, Brondial 0, Agustin.
UP (53) – Soyud 17, Marata 8, Lao 8, Asilum 7, Desiderio 4, Ball 4, Wong 2, Pascual 2, Ligad 1, Suarez 0, Gingerich 0, Amar 0.
Quarterscores: 20-14, 35-24, 46-38, 67-53.
