MANILA, Philippines – Roi Sumang shone bright in the clutch and Adamson University just had no answer.
The cat-quick guard delivered the telling blows in the endgame to lead University of the East (UE) to a close 71-66 escape from the Soaring Falcons in the 75th UAAP men’s basketball tournament Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
After losing all of their last five games, the Red Warriors finally found a savior in Sumang, who provided an answer to repeated attempts by Adamson to come back and inch closer from an 18-point deficit.
Sumang paced all scorers with 18 points, eight assists and two steals as the Recto-based crew tied Adamson at the sixth to seventh place with a 1-5 record.
“We just had to find a way to win,” said UE coach Jerry Codinera. “We never gave up.”
The Warriors rode a hot stretch in the second and third quarters to build a sizable lead, the biggest of which was a 47-29 spread with 2:58 remaining in the third period.
Gunner JR Sumido and Gene Belleza combined in a second quarter attack that helped UE erect a 30-21 advantage at the break.
Sumang took over from there, pouring in 16 of his 18 points in the second half. Their win leaves the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroonsas the only winless team in the eight-team league.
Adamson’s free throw shooting woes didn’t help their cause either, as the San Marcelino-based squad missed 23 of their 48 shots from the charity stripe.
Sumido added 12 points, Belleza finished with 11 markers and Adrian Santos worked his way to 10 points and nine rebounds for UE, which will battle UP in the final game of the first round on Sunday.
On the other hand, Roider Cabrera scored 11 of his 16 markers in the final period but it wasn’t enough to stop the Falcons from falling to their third straight defeat. -Rappler.com
UE, 71: Sumang 18, Sumido 12, Belleza 11, Santos 10, Flores 5, Javier 4, Duran 4, Valdez 3, Hernandez 2, Galanza 2, Alberto 0, Mena 0
Adamson, 66: Cabrera 16, Brondial 15, Cruz 14, Camson 14, Etrone 4, Monteclaro 2, Julkipli 1, Trollano 0, Rios 0, Petilos 0, Olalia 0, Cabigas 0, Abrigo 0
Quarter scores: 9-9, 30-21, 52-38, 71-66
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