(Ericka Alcantara / FCF)

Coming off from a controversial loss against the De La Salle University, Adamson University failed to prevent a first round sweep by Far Eastern University, 74-71, thanks to a stellar performance by Terrence Romeo late in the final canto in the UAAP Season 76 men’s basketball first round finale on Sunday.

Romeo finished with a season-high output of 26 points on 10-for-23 shooting from the field to lead all scorers.

“It’s an accomplishment. In our mind you don’t accomplish anything if you don’t get to your goal. We still need to have our mind set on the big picture.” said FEU head coach Nash Racela.

When asked what their goal is, the 42-year old mentor claimed that they have their eyes set not on the championship or a slot in the final four, but on their next game.

Both squads spilled their field goals early in the half, but the Tamaraws were able to take the lead early on thanks to three consecutive baskets off of the break. Roger Pogoy was successful in collecting offensive rebounds for FEU, but it was Rodney Brondial who dominated under the post, terrorizing the Tamaraws’ defense with a number of successful offensive efforts.

Ingrid Sewa came to life in second quarter, scoring 3 consecutive baskets in the hopes of cutting down FEU’s lead. However, it seemed like whenever the Falcons inches closer in doing so, Terrence Romeo, who is currently leading in the MVP race, and the rest of the Tamaraws were able to diminish their confidence and halt the Falcons’ blistering offensive pace.

Adamson finally took the lead just before the half with a layup from Brondial after Jericho Cruz failed to convert his and-one to put the Falcons up by 1, 37-36.
It was a tight race from then on with both squads trading baskets and exchanging leads. Trollano scored 5 consecutive points late in the third to put Adamson up by 4, 56-52, before Terrence Romeo drained two consecutive baskets to tie the game at 56-all.

Romeo once again came up big with 2 clutch treys to put the Tamaraws up at 74-69 with only 24.6 seconds left, paving way for the FEU’s inevitable first round sweep.

Jericho Cruz tallied 21 points and four assists, while Sewa and Brondial each posted 13 apiece in the Falcons’ second straight setback.

(Ericka Alcantara / FCF)

Archers fail to arrow down Bulldogs

Despite being outscored in the third quarter, the Bobby Ray Parks-led National University five adjusted coming into the fourth, eventually beating a struggling Green and White squad, 63-56, in the day’s main game.

The two-time UAAP MVP produced 20 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, and three steals in the contest. Jean Mbe added 12 points and six rebounds, while Dennice Villamor fired 10 points with 10 rebounds.

“I’m really proud of the boys today. I felt like we played intelligent basketball today. We executed the game plan very. We came from two-straight losses but I saw the team play together. We were really one in everything whether its defense or offense and I attribute this win to our teamwork. ” said NU head coach Eric Altamirano in the post-game interview.

After being down by as much as 11 in the first, the Green Archers unleashed a blistering 8 – 0 run in the second quarter to cut National University’s lead down to three, thanks to a number of baskets from Jeron Teng and Arnold Van Opstal.

Van Opstal’s defensive efforts in the first half momentarily frustrated the Bulldog’s offense, but it was not long until Bobby Ray Parks found his groove, scoring 11 points in the first half to give National University an eight point lead at the end of the second quarter.

Vosotros, after missing all 5 of his attempts from beyond the arc, drained two consecutive treys in the third and had the chance to tie the game at 40-all but failed to finish on the break. With Teng cutting down NU’s lead to a point seconds before the end of the third, the momentum seemed to be in La Salle’s favor coming in the final canto. However, Parks seem to have other things in mind, bannering the Bulldogs’ 10-0 run to restore NU’s original 11 point lead.

When asked about Terrence Romeo’s dominance in the MVP race, Parks claims that his mindset is not on the individual awards but the team winning the championship. “Di pa po ako worried diyan kasi all I want is the championship. As you can see I’m not really worried on putting any buckets. I’m just trying to run the team right now which I know will pay in the long run because if I can make my teammates better then hey, that’s what being a leader is all about”, he added.

Arnold Van Opstal finished with 14 points and seven caroms, while Almond Vosotros led all DLSU starters with 11 points on a 3-for-9 shooting afternoon from three-point range.

La Salle’s inability to score and number of turnovers given away in the early portions of the fourth quarter paved the way for the Archers’ demise as they drop down at 5th place with a 3-4 record, creating a three-way logjam with Ateneo and Adamson.

The Bulldogs, on the other hand, are tied for second place with University of Santo Tomas and the University of the East with a 4-3 slate.

The second round of games in the men’s basketball bracket will resume on August 14, following an extended break due to the country’s hosting of the FIBA Asia Championships for Men.