Defending champion University of the Philippines (UP) booked a Final Four ticket after beating Adamson University, 70-65, in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 men’s basketball tournament Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Reyland Torres nailed five straight points inside the last two minutes that gave the Fighting Maroons more breathing room after the Falcons trimmed a 15-point deficit to just two as UP improved to a 9-3 win-loss record.

Francis Nnoruka registered a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds while Gerry Abadiano added 16 points in the Fighting Maroons’ payback win over their first-round tormentor for a seventh straight semifinal appearance. Torres scored seven.

UP had a scare when Adamson closed in 58-56 with 4:16 left in the game from a Ray Allen Torres basket. Abadiano answered with two charities followed by a Reyland Torres triple and a turnaround jumper in a 7-1 run for a 65-57 gap with under two minutes left. 

The Fighting Maroons erected a 31-16 advantage with five minutes left in the second quarter from a Jacob Bayla layup.

Adamson, paced by Torres’ 23 points, slipped to a 5-7 slate after its third loss in a row.

Meanwhile, rookie Kirby Mongcopa was the man of the moment for Far Eastern University (FEU), draining the game-winning basket in an 84-83 escape over De La Salle University as the Tamaraws stayed alive in the Final Four race.

Mongcopa drilled the go-ahead layup with 26 seconds left before blocking Jacob Cortez’s drive attempt on the other end as FEU held on for a 5-7 record.

The Tamaraws flirted with disaster after squandering a 14-point second-quarter lead when they allowed the Green Archers to make a strong second-half run.

The Tamaraws found themselves trailing 82-83 with 1:33 left after La Salle’s Luis Pablo hit back-to-back baskets. FEU dodged the bullet after the Green Archers missed three attempts in a single possession.

Mo Konateh grabbed the board off the Green Archers’ last miss, handed the ball to Janrey Pasaol, who found Mongcopa breaking away from his defender for the lead.

Mongcopa then swatted away Cortez’s attempt but FEU lost the ball in transition as La Salle tried to salvage the game but JC Macalalag bricked his three-pointer in the final buzzer.       

“We are super grateful to just be in this stage and be able to be in this place. We also wanna say La Salle is a championship team and when I left the house today, I kept saying to myself we have to beat one of the big teams this tournament in order for us to finally arrive,” head coach Sean Chambers said after the Tamaraws avenged a 72-74 loss in the first round.

Pasaol led FEU with 17 points and seven assists. Konateh had 14 points and nine rebounds while Jorick Bautista scored all of his 12 markers in the second half.

Mongcopa came three dishes short of a triple-double with 10 points, 10 boards and seven assists in the match that had 16 lead changes and four deadlocks.

“This is a very special win for us because it’s been so long since we won against La Salle. This is a very big win for us as it will give us confidence heading into our crucial last two games,” Pasaol said.