MANILA – Gerry Abadiano had a solid offensive game as the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons scored a 65-60 victory over Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles in the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Iloilo City native top-scored with 22 points, including three three-point conversions, to go with three rebounds and two assists.
With the win, the Fighting Maroons stayed on top with 8-1 win-loss slate.
Maodo Malick Diouf chipped in a double-double of 10 points and 17 rebounds, while Bacolodnon Harold Alarcon and Francis Lopez contributed 10 markers apiece for the Fighting Maroons.
The Fighting Maroons opened up a 10-point lead at the end of the third quarter as Terrence Fortea and Abadiano connived on offense as they turned a slim 32-30 lead to a 49-39 advantage.
The Blue Eagles showed some life in the fourth quarter as they tied the score at 54-all midway in the fourth quarter, but Alarcon and Abadiano answered back with a triple and a jump shot, respectively, to give UP the lead for good.
Alarcon extended the lead to six with 45.3 seconds to go but in the next play, Mason Amos drained a three-pointer with 42.9 seconds left to pull the Blue Eagles within three, 60-63, but two free throws by Abadiano sealed the win for UP.
“Yung effort namin as a team nandiyan. Alam naman namin na natalo kami sa Ateneo nung first round at masakit sa amin yun,” said Abadiano, a former standout of St. Robert’s International Academy Panda Rockets.
Jared Brown led the Blue Eagles in scoring with 18 points built on four triples while Joseph Obasa added 11 points to go with 16 rebounds and four blocks, while Mason Amos contributed 10 as they dropped to 4-5.
Meanwhile, Adamson University Falcons (4-5) drew inspiration from injured star guard Jerom Lastimosa as they prevailed over Far Eastern University Tamaraws (3-6), 63-54, to snap their three-game losing skid.
Joshua Yerro spearheaded the offense for the Falcons with 11 points, all of which came in the first half, while Joem Sabandal and Jhon Calisay added 10 and nine markers, respectively./PN
BOX SCORE:
UP 65 – Abadiano 22, Alarcon 10, Diouf 10, Lopez 10, Fortea 7, Felicilda 4, Torculas 2, Alter 0, Belmonte 0, Torres 0.
ATENEO 60 – Brown 18, Obasa 11, Amos 10, Quitevis 8, Ballungay 7, Credo 3, Espinosa 2, Chiu 1, Koon 0, Gomez 0, Tuano 0, Nieto 0, Lazaro 0, Celis 0.
Quarterscores: 11-11, 32-30, 49-39, 65-60.
