Falcons thwart Red Warriors to stay afloat

MANILA, Philippines -- The Adamson Soaring Falcons scored a crucial victory in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament as they cooled off the University of the East Red Warriors, 45-37, Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Adamson pumped life back into their Final Four hopes with the crucial win against the No. 3 seed to go up to 4-7 with three elimination games remaining.

Matty Erolon and AJ Fransman led the flight of the Falcons with 14 points each. The former had four assists and two rebounds, while the latter had nine boards.

It was a low-scoring affair that saw Adamson leading 22-19 at the half.

It was more of the same in the second half, with both teams unable to grab a significant margin.

That changed in the fourth frame, when the San Marcelino-based squad started the final canto with a 10-0 run to turn the game on its head, 43-32.

It was enough separation for Adamson as they snapped their five-game losing streak.

Ced Manzano finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Soaring Falcons, who saw star Monty Montebon score just three points in 15 minutes.

Precious Momowei led UE with 12 markers and 17 boards, but had nine turnovers.

The Red Warriors dropped to 6-4 in the season, still firmly in the third spot ahead of the 5-6 University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers.