Tiger Cubs yield to Baby Falcons in final four affair
By Rob Andrew Dongiapon
Plagued by costly turnovers throughout the game, the UST Tiger Cubs fell to the Adamson Baby Falcons, 55–62, to end their UAAP Season 85 boys basketball tournament tilt at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan, Tuesday afternoon.
The game saw the Tiger Cubs gave up 26 points off their 24 turnovers as the Baby Falcons kept their composure up down the stretch. In comparison, UST only scored eight off Adamson’s 18 turnovers.
With the win, the number one seed Baby Falcons advanced to the Junior basketball finals for the first time since 2003.
Vince Reyes anchored Adamson with 21 points and nine rebounds, while Justine Garcia added 14, including a dagger three with under two minutes left in the game that ultimately knocked the wind out of the Tiger Cubs.
Mark Llemit towed the Tiger Cubs with 19 points and nine rebounds but was held to just five points in the second half. JP Pangilinan, on the other hand, chipped in 14 markers on three triples.
After a shaky first quarter, UST turned the momentum on their side, outscoring the Baby Falcons, 22–12.
Tides turned after the halftime break as the Tigers Cubs squandered their three-point lead with Adamson finding their mark by capitalizing on UST’s miscues.
The match ended in a seven-point loss for the Tiger Cubs, 62–55, falling out of championship contention.
Adamson dominated the transition offense with 23 fastbreak points, while the Tiger Cubs only recorded seven.
Ball movement also proved a factor in the matchup as the Tiger Cubs only tallied six total assists to the Baby Falcons’ 19.
The Scores:
Adamson (62) — Reyes 21, Garcia 14, Edding 10, Rosilio 8, Bonzalida 5, Medina 3, Perez 1, Mepana 0, Corillo 0, Abayon 0, Sajili 0
UST (55) — Llemit 19, Pangilinan 14, Bucsit 8, Jumao-as 5, Manding 3, Ayon 2, Buenaflor 2, Zanoria 2
