MANILA, Philippines – University of the East flirted with disaster before finishing strong in warding off a hard-fighting Adamson side, 72-59 victory, in the 77th UAAP men’s basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday.
Bong Galanza fired a team-high 20 points, including four triples, while Charles Mammie and Ronnie De Leon added 12 points apiece for the Legarda-based squad.
The Warriors improved their win-loss record to 5-5 to take the solo fifth spot in the team standings.
However, UE coach Derrick Pumaren expressed disappointment with his wards’ play, pointing out their lack of energy.
"We still have a shot (at the Final Four) but we cannot play the way we played today. If that's the way we play against the top teams, we can kiss our Final Four hopes goodbye. We have to play a lot better," said Pumaren.
"I don’t think the guys are ready to play today especially in the start. They were taking Adamson lightly. We are fighting for position we cannot take things lightly," he added.
The Falcons were right in the game early in the fourth quarter when Dawn Ochea scored on a putback to cut the deficit, 48-50, at the 9:29 mark of the fourth quarter.
The Warriors responded with an 11-3 run to take the momentum and ultimately control the game.
"We have to work our way up to the Final Four. The mentality we should have is we have to do it right now and forget the record. Our season starts today," said Pumaren.
Don Trollano led the Falcons’ charge with 18 points while Dawn Ochea added 12 markers.
Adamson remains the only winless team in the season with a 0-10 card.