Tams avert Falcons’ upset bid

James Zablan stepped up when ace gunner Leo Avenido faltered yesterday as Far Eastern University eked out a scary 73-72 victory over gritty Adamson and rekindled its Final Four bid in the 64th UAAP basketball tournament at the Ateneo Gym.

Zablan fired six points each in the last two quarters as the Tams, last year’s losing finalists against La Salle, snapped out from a five-game slump to keep their hopes alive. It was their sixth win in as many losses while the loss was the 12th straight for the Falcons.

Like in the recent games, the Falcons got off to a good start only to falter heading down the stretch. Against the UE Warriors last Sunday, Adamson took an early 16-2 lead but still went on to lose the game by 20 points, 77-97.

In the other game, defending champion La Salle pounced on Santo Tomas’ horrendous free-throw shooting as it eked out a 64-62 triumph and regained the solo lead with its 10-2 slate. — Joey Villar