Baby Falcons on verge of ending 31-year title drought with Game 1 W vs NUNS
Date Posted: February 5, 2024 at 12:06 PM
The Baby Falcons bucked off a slow start to bag Game 1 of the UAAP 86 Boys’ Basketball tournament, overcoming National University Nazareth School, 77-71, February 4 at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
Adamson uncorked a 26-12 final frame to seal the game, taking them one step closer to ending their 31-year championship drought.
Down 49-59 late in the third quarter, the San Marcelino-based squad unleashed a 17-2 barrage capped by a Vince Reyes lay-in to erect a 66-61 lead with less than six minutes remaining.
NUNS tried to mount a comeback but eventually crumbled after leading MVP candidate Colins Akowe picked up his fifth foul with a little more than four minutes left.
Adamson is on phase to bag its first title since 1993 when they were still under Coach Charlie Dy as historical records show that six of eight previous Game 1 victors and eight of the last 10 brought home the gold.
In the post-game interview, Baby Falcons head coach Mike Fermin pointed out his team’s lapses that led them to a disadvantage, mentioning his wards’ being overaggressive in the early goings of the game.
"Noong third, doon kami nawala sa sistema. We wanted to play one on one, which is hindi kami ‘yon. Hindi ‘yon Adamson basketball," he said. "I just told them going to the fourth [to] trust your teammates. Kung malas man kayo, trust your teammates and make good decisions."
Vince Reyes took charge for the Baby Falcons, scoring nine of his 17 points in the fourth period.
Gene Carillo, Earl Medina, and JC Bonzalida also tallied double figures for Adamson, with 13, 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Skipper Justine Garcia, though, struggled the whole game, logging in three points off 1-of-8 shooting from the field.
Adamson looks to finalize their date with history this February 7 as they play Game 2 at the same venue.
