Tams, Falcons take opener

Koy Banal is all too familiar with the David and Goliath story. The Tamaraws were the Davids, when they bucked all odds in winning the PBL Unity Cup last month. This time, they’re the Goliaths.

Showing little mercy, the Tams massacred the University of the East Warriors, 89-61, yesterday to send warning signals to serious challengers to the crown in the UAAP basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum.

Dennis Miranda led the carnage with 17 points with Arwind Santos, Mark Isip, RJ Rizada and sophomore Jeff Chan adding 14, 14, 13 and 11 markers, respectively, in a win that jumpstarted FEU’s title-retention bid.

"We don‘t have anything to prove, gusto lang namin ipakita na hindi kami mag-re-relax kahit lamang na kami," said FEU mentor Koy Banal.

Rookie Marcy Arellano paced the Warriors with 11 points in a loss that spoiled the debut of their new coach Dindo Pumaren, a replacement for Boyzie Zamar.

So dominating were the Tams that they topped all departments, including rebounding where they plucked 51 against the Warriors’ 28 that translated to 15 second-chance points.

In the other game, Adamson lived up to great pre-season expectations when it smashed a listless University of the Philippines, 68-54, for its first opening-day victory in the league since 1996.

"It’s nice to win my first opening game in five years I’ve been coaching Adamson," said winning coach Luigi Trillo. "But it’s just the start and we need to work harder as the tournament progresses."

Chad Alonzo energized the Falcons with his 12 points and 11 rebounds while Mark Abadia matched his point production in the game witnessed by a crowd of 12,000 that was earlier treated to a colorful laser show.

The wide-open game, however, was not without some anxious moments.

Adamson’s Karl Bono, a sophomore from Iloilo, elbowed UP’s Kenneth Robin on the face while they were positioning underneath with a minute left in the third quarter.

Also slapped a technical foul was UP’s Abe Santos for leaving the bench and entering the court during the commotion.

After a sluggish start, the Falcons made their move in the third period, unleashing a furious attack that was followed by a bigger one early in the final quarter.

Trillo also drew an impressive debut from rookie Leo Canuday who stepped up when starting guard Ramil Tagupa fell to cramps.