Maroons stymie Falcons to enter UAAP Final 4

MANILA, Philippines — The University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons advanced to the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament Final Four after keeping the Adamson Soaring Falcons at bay, 70-59, Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. 

UP thus became the second team to qualify for the semifinal round with an 8-1 win-loss record, next to defending champion La Salle Green. It is the Maroons’ sixth straight Final Four appearance.

JD Cagulangan spearheaded UP with 17 points, three rebounds, two steals and an assist. Gani Stevens added 10 points and four rebounds. 

Adamson trailed by just one, 57-58, with less than four minutes remaining after a 3-pointer by Jhon Calisay. 

The Diliman-based cagers then found their rhythm with 12 unanswered points to break the game wide open, 70-57, capped by a Quentin Millora-Brown jam off a slick feed by Mark Belmonte with 52.4 seconds remaining. 

A floater by Ced Manzano halted the run, but it ended up as the Falcons’ last points in the game. 

Belmonte and Terrence Fortea chipped in nine points, respectively, for UP. 

Monty Montebon led the flight for Adamson with 14 points on 6-f-13 shooting. However, his shots could not connect in the late stages of the game. 

AJ Fransman and Ced Manzano backstopped with 13 and 12 points in that order. 

Adamson dropped to 3-7 in the season, as they absorbed its fifth straight defeat.