Adamson soars past NU to claim solo second

Papi Sarr won the war over his battle against Alfred Aroga.
By JP Abcede


PASAY--The Adamson University Soaring Falcons are on a roll as they ground the National University Bulldogs, 64-51, at the Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday to take control of solo second place in UAAP men’s basketball.


It was a game of grit as Adamson’s defense held the opposition scoreless in the final two and so minutes of the game, preventing a shutout of the Pumaren brothers that day.

Kristian Bernado made the most of his time on the floor, unloading all of his seven points in a key stretch of the payoff period, turning a 44-45 deficit into a 53-49 headway, 2:33 to go. The second year veteran took over Papi Sarr, who was forced to sit out a good portion of the fourth period due to foul trouble.

Jjay Alejandro had a case of the willies in the clutch, incurring one turnover after another, as Adamson created separation.

Sarr led the way for AdU, knocking down 13 points and hauling 17 rebounds. JD Tungcab chipped in 11.

Alfred Aroga was the lone double figure scorer for National, finishing with 17 markers, 13 rebounds, and two assists

Adamson notched its third victory in four matches, a game behind the undefeated De La Salle University Green Archers. The two meet in a virtual battle for first place on Saturday, also at the MOA Arena.

NU, on the other hand, fell to 2-2 after suffering its second straight defeat.

The scores:

AdU 64 – Sarr 13, Tungcab 11, Manganti 9, Ahanmisi 8, Bernardo 7, Mustre 5, Espeleta 4, Ochea 3, Manalang 2, Camacho 2, Pasturan 0, Ng 0, Paranada 0, Chua 0.

NU 51 – Aroga 17, Salem 9, Salim 7, Mosqueda 4, Diputado M 3, Pate 3, Gallego 2, Sinclair 2, Alejandro 0, Diputado J 0, Abatayo 0, Aquino 0, Rangel 0, Yu 0.

Quarterscores: 17-13, 29-28, 42-40, 64-51.