UST romp sends Baby Falcons atop UAAP 85 boys
Date Posted: March 10, 2023 at 03:49 PM
The Baby Falcons have secured the first seed of the UAAP 85 Boys Basketball Tournament after disposing of University of Santo Tomas, 78-66, in the last game of the league’s eliminations at the Filoil Ecooil Centre in San Juan, February 28.
They will also face UST, the fourth-ranked team, in the playoffs scheduled this March 7, where they will enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage.
Senior slotman Carlo Bonzalida finally registered his breakout game, dropping a career-high 26 points on 11-of-17 shooting to go along with six rebounds and two steals.
"Nung talo namin sa Ateneo, ang dami kong na-realize tulad na kailangan ko mag-step up. Sila Peter (Rosillo), Vince (Reyes), at Matt (Edding), nag-step up na," Bonzalida said, recalling the 58-55 upset they absorbed from Ateneo High School last February 25.
"Ako na lang po yung nawawala sa team namin. Pinakita ko lang kung ano yung kaya ko,” the Malolos, Bulacan-native added.
Adamson held a 60-57 advantage midway in the fourth quarter before they launced an 18-9 endgame barrage highlighted by Bonzalida’s 10 markers.
"This is very important because of the stakes. If we lose, we will be facing the loser of the NU-FEU game. Mabigat yun. Maganda na nag-respond yung players sa pressure," Baby Falcons head coach Mike Fermin said.
Rosillo and Earl Medina both posted 14 points while Justine Garcia returned from a team-imposed suspension, tallying a 10-point, 10-assist double-double.
Quarter Scores: 14-14, 36-37, 56-51, 78-66.
AdU 78 - Bonzalida 26, Rosillo 14, Medina 14, Garcia 10, Edding 5, Reyes 2, Abayon 2, Menpana 2, Perez 2, Carillo 1, Culdora 0.
UST 66 - Pangilinan 16, Llemit 13, Bucsit 9, Jumao-as 8, Manding 8, Ayon 5, Esteban 4, Zanoria 3, Buenaflor 0, Naron 0, Tesocan 0.
