Jeric Teng of UST goes up for a shot against the defense of Allen Etrone and Austin Manyara of ADU. (Justin de Jesus/FCF)
GAMES SUNDAY (September 3, 2011)
Araneta Coliseum
1:00pm – Far Eastern (7-4) vs. East (2-10)
3:00pm – De La Salle (4-7) vs. State U (2-10)
Down but not out after 20 minutes of play, University of Santo Tomas pounced on Adamson University in a surprising turn of events to earn their third straight victory, 74-58, in the second round of the 74th University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball eliminations at the Araneta Coliseum on Saturday.
In a stunning move to overturn a 17 point lead by Adamson, Jeric Teng stepped up from a dismal one point total during the first half to a staggering 19 points output during the last 20 minutes of the match.
The former Xavier School standout, who managed to bring the tie between the Tigers and Falcons with a three point shot at 4:08 on the third quarter, also contributed three offensive rebounds and six assists in an all-around effort.
Aiding his assault over the stunned Falcons was also double digit scoring by teammates Karim Abdul, Jeric Fortuna and Chris Camus.
The Cameroonian big man Abdul recorded 15 points and 14 rebounds. Fortuna also had 15 points to go along with 5 assists, while Camus finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
On the opposite side of the court, the Falcons started off with a strong performance but lagged behind in the shooting department by the third and fourth quarters quarter, fielding only a combined 16 points during that stretch.
Alex Nuyles was the only double digit scorer for Adamson contributing 14 points. Eric Camson and Janus Lozada were both held down to their lowest outputs of the second round with 6 apiece.
Rodney Brondial, who took over the starting center spot from a less-than-healthy Austin Manyara, had 9 points and a team-best 7 rebounds in a losing cause.
But despite today’s defeat, the Soaring Falcons continue to enjoy a one-game lead over Far Eastern University with a 9-4 margin entering their final matchup against the still-undefeated Ateneo de Manila over the horizon a week from now.
Conversely, the triumphant Tigers just needs either a win in their next two contests or hope for a De La Salle University loss in order to clinch their fourth post-season berth in the last six years.
Notes: The Tigers are missing the services of power forward Melo Afuang, who had to undergo an operation to remove gall stones. He is expected to return to action in 2 to 3 weeks, in time for the Final Four…Manyara, who suffered a contusion on his left knee during their match against UP (8/27), has not been practicing with the team and has been seeing limited action during the past few days in order to keep him within the rhythm of the game. He finished with 0 points, 1 rebound and 1 block in 10 minutes of action…Reserve forward Ron Javier and head coach Pido Jarencio will be celebrating their respective birthdays on Monday. The fiery former Glowing Goldies shooting guard turns 47.
BOX SCORES
SANTO TOMAS (74): Teng 20, Abdul 15, Fortuna 15, Camus 13, Lo 6, Ferrer 5, Tan 0, Sheriff 0, Lao 0, Pe 0, Ungria 0
ADAMSON (58): Nuyles 14, Brondial 9, Camson 8, Etrone 6, Lozada 6, Alvarez 6, Cabrera 5, Colina 4, Petilos 0, Manuel 0, Manyara 0, Cañada 0
Quarters: 12-20, 27-42, 52-50, 74-58
