Adamson rolls into win column

Adamson University outlasted University of the Philippines (UP), 67-60, to clinch its first win in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 89 women’s basketball tournament on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

The Lady Falcons snapped their two-game losing streak to enter the win column, tying UP for fourth place with identical 1-2 records.

“The first two games were eye-opening for us, but credit also goes to the players. We are a team that can force top-tier opponents to give their absolute best,” Adamson head coach Jed Colonia said.

“We just have to stay composed so we don’t get complacent.”

After opening the season with the league’s highest turnover average at 23.5 per game, the Lady Falcons did a much better job of taking care of the ball, committing just 13 turnovers compared to the Fighting Maroons’ 18.

“It’s really a very good improvement for us in the way we took care of the ball. Basically, that’s it, we took care of the ball very well,” Colonia added.

Adamson came out firing, with Elaine Etang leading the charge as the Lady Falcons raced to a 16-6 lead in the opening quarter.

UP fought back in the second frame, with Shane Cunanan’s three-pointer tying the game at 31-all with a minute remaining in the half. However, Nadine Muñoz beat the buzzer to give Adamson a 36-33 lead at halftime.

The Fighting Maroons forced another deadlock at 40-all early in the third quarter, but the Lady Falcons responded with a 10-3 run in the final two minutes of the frame to restore control.

Holding a 50-43 advantage entering the final quarter, Adamson pulled further ahead with a 7-0 run to open the fourth.

The Lady Falcons then held off UP for the remainder of the game to complete the wire-to-wire victory.

“I’m just so happy because everyone contributed. It’s truly rewarding to see that every single one of my teammates genuinely wants to win,” senior Cheska Apag said.

Apag led all scorers with 23 points, while Etang contributed 16 points on 50 percent shooting, along with three rebounds and two steals.