THE Adamson Soaring Falcons brought back the University of the East Red Warriors down to earth after humbling the latter, 78-71, in Season 76 of the UAAP men’s basketball tournament yesterday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
The Falcons flew high early on as they rode the scorching shooting of forward Roider Cabrera en route to establishing leads that went as high as 25 points, 50-25, at halftime.
At one point, Adamson outscored UE, 30-5, in an incredible run that bridged the first and second periods.
They then weathered a furious comeback by the Red Warriors to register their second win in three games and send UE to a 1-2 mark, just a few days after the latter registered a huge 71-67 upset of the National University Bulldogs.
Cabrera finished with 19 points, spiked by five three-pointers while African import Ingrid Sewas added 15 points and 11 rebounds.
UE was led by the 26 points of Roi Sumang, 12 of which came in that fourth period comeback try that got them to within nine points, 69-78, with a little over a minute remaining. Lord Casajeros contributed 14 points while Charles Mammie had nine markers and 14 boards.
Meanwhile, in the second game, the National University Bulldogs forged a four-way tie for second place after they beat the erstwhile undefeated University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers, 71-67.
NU and UST now join Adamson and La Salle in second place with identical 2-1 (win-loss) records. The Far Eastern University Tamaraws remain as the lone unbeaten squad with a 3-0 mark. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio