Adamson torches UP in season opener
For the first time in recent years, expectations were high for the Adamson Basketball Team.
Against UP, they did not disappoint.
After undergoing major changes in coaching and player lineup, Adamson proved that they are worth the hype as they blew out the UP Fighting Maroons, 104-85, Sunday afternoon, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The scorching hot shooting of Jerrick Ahanmisi, who scored 28 points with six of seven outside shooting, led the Adamson three-point party in his UAAP debut.
" I was a little bit nervous coming into my first game but I was also very excited," the rookie Fil-Am Ahanmisi said. "
"It's a blessing really, that I get to play in front of other fans and playing for my team and my coaches," he added.
Fellow rookie Fil-Am Robbie Manalang also had a solid outing as the starting point guard with 16 points and nine assists.
"It was a lot of fun. It was everything I ever wanted to do, to play basketball in Adamson, and so it's great to come out with a victory today," Manalang shared.
Great ball movement and efficient scoring allowed Adamson to pull away early in the game with nine different players being able to score. After posting a 28-18 lead in the first, however, Adamson's turnovers allowed UP to build an 11-2 run and pull closer, 30-29. But timely plays from Adamson kept UP at bay, eventually ending the quarter with a 46-38 lead.
After the halftime, Ahanmisi and his squad decided to heat up. A 15-5 run by Adamson, 13 of which from Ahanmisi, put UP into an 18-point hole and efforts from AdU's supporting cast held a 73-57 lead at the end of the third.
The final period started with Andres Desiderio breathing life to the UP side, eventually trimming AdU's lead to just six, 83-77, with 4:36 remaining.
But that was the closest they could get.
Adamson poured cold water to the UP side with a 6-1 surge, 89-78. It was then followed by a ferocious contact dunk from Fil-Am rookie Sean Manganti, which brought the already roaring Adamson crowd to its feet, sensing that victory will soon be their's. The game ended with a 104-85 victory for the Falcons.
The visibly elated head coach Franz Pumaren stressed that errors such as turnovers must be corrected in order to move forward.
"It's those mental mistakes. At least we were able to overcome that," he said.
The next game of Adamson will be against the Defending Champions FEU Tamaraws this September 11, 2pm, still at Araneta.
Scores: ADU: Ahanmisi-28, Manalang-16, Ochea-13, Sarr-13, Mustre-9, Manganti-8, Tungcab-6, Pasturan-6, Ng-4, Paranada-1
UP: Desiderio-24, Manuel-15, Moralde-12, Asilum-11, Vito-7, Webb-5, Harris-5, Gomez De Liano- 2, Romero-2, Lao-2
