Adamson buries DLSZ, nears Final Four

Adamson University moved a step closer to securing the remaining Final Four berth after posting an 84-38 rout of De La Salle Zobel in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) junior high school basketball tournament on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Uno Del Monte delivered 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting, adding five assists and two rebounds for the Baby Falcons, who solidified their hold on solo fourth place in the eight-team field with an 8-5 record.

A loss by defending champion University of the East, which is currently at fifth with a 7-6 card, against Far Eastern University-Diliman on Saturday, or an Adamson victory over Ateneo de Manila University on Sunday, would send the Baby Falcons to the Final Four.

Adamson dictated the tempo from the opening tip, building on a 25-10 first-quarter performance before pushing DLSZ, limited to a woeful 5-of-29 shooting in the first two quarters, to a 30-point hole, 48-18, at halftime.

That early surge proved insurmountable, as key baskets from Kieff Iledan and Fran Flores in the third quarter extended the Baby Falcons’ lead to 62-26 heading into the final period.

The Junior Archers’ struggles were compounded by injuries to big men Julian Pangan and Wayne Rivera, who suffered separate ankle injuries in the second and third quarters, respectively.

“Honestly, I feel that some DLSZ players suffered bad luck. Their usual sources of scoring — the Purugganan twins — couldn’t easily deliver,” said Adamson head coach Dante Tongco, whose wards limited the Junior Archers to a season-low 38 points on 12-of-60 shooting.

“But again, it happened maybe because of our game plan. They were not supposed to make easy baskets against our defenders.”

Kyle Abas added a near double-double with 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting and nine rebounds, while Flores contributed 11 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals.

Edison Jordan posted an all-around stat line of 10 points, six steals, five rebounds, four assists and two blocks, and Iledan finished one-point shy of a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds, along with three assists and two steals.

Enzo Purugganan led DLSZ with 12 points on 4-of-16 shooting, three rebounds, and one steal, while Christian Mercado added eight points and one steal.

In the earlier game, a matchup between two struggling squads saw JD Juangco explode for a career-best 29 points, powering Ateneo de Manila University to a wire-to-wire 76-60 victory over University of the Philippines Integrated School to end a six-game skid.