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ADAMSON
secured victory, thanks to Paul Gonzalgo, shocking
University of the East (UE), 66-64, Sunday in the 71st
University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP)
men’s basketball tournament at the PhilSports Arena in
Pasig City.
Gonzalgo, son of former pro Dante
Gonzalgo, finished with 12 points. He connected on a
pull-up go-ahead triple with 1.6 ticks left after the
Falcons lost a 15-point lead in the dying seconds.
“Pinakita niya na veteran siya,” said
Adamson coach Leo Austria, who started his amateur
basketball career with the elder Gonzalgo as a teammate
back in the 1980s.
“I consider this as an upset because we
all know that UE is one of the contenders. It adds to
the morale of the players. Maybe this is the beginning
in believing ourselves. I hope this is the start of our
team getting competitive,” Austria added.
The Falcons improved to 2-2 in joining
UE, which failed to gain a share of second place with De
La Salle.
The Green Archers upped their record to
3-1 after a 93-69 win over National University (NU)
Saturday, took solo second with 3-1 behind idle Ateneo
(4-0), which defeated University of the Philippines,
83-66, also Saturday.
Sophomore Jan Colina had a game-high 15
points and also grabbed 10 rebounds—seven offensive and
blocked three shots for the Falcons.
Elmer Espiritu contributed 14 points and
11 rebounds, while Marcy Arellano had 10 points and
seven rebounds for the Red Warriors.
The Falcons were up, 48-33, in the third
quarter but slowly lost their advantage. Elmer Espiritu
finally gave the Red Warriors the lead with a pair of
free throws, 64-63, 23.9 seconds remaining.
After a botched possession on the next
play, Adamson had another chance as Gonzalgo got himself
open after a pick by Colina to score the marginal
basket.
Benedict Fernandez, meanwhile, ignited
Far Eastern University but it was the Tamaraws’ defense
that led to a 70-65 victory over University of Santo
Tomas also Sunday.
Fernandez fired 24 points on five-of-six
shooting from the three-point distance. He also scored
nine in the fourth quarter and shot two triples in a
searing 15-4 run for the Tamaraws to start the period.
Not a
Dandan replacement
Although
NU has yet to formally announce a managerial position in
its athletics department for him, Junel Baculi made it
clear Sunday that he will not be a threat to Manny
Dandan’s job as head coach of the Bulldogs.
Baculi, the multititled mentor in
amateur basketball circles, quashed rumors that he will
replace Dandan as NU’s coach—as the latter has yet to
lead the team to a win in four starts in the current
UAAP men’s basketball tournament.
“It’s a higher position, not the
coaching position,” Baculi, now seen regularly watching
the games of NU, told the BusinessMirror. “Nasa final
negotiations pa ang lahat. But I’m here to help out the
team also.”
Baculi has been meeting with Hans Sy,
son of SM Malls tycoon Henry Sy, who recently bought
majority shares in the university. The Sys are hoping to
transform the Bulldogs into a title contender in the
years to come, reason why it is now taking steps to
achieve that goal.
Baculi
said that among NU’s immediate plans are improving the
school’s training facilities and the athletics
department’s recruitment program, particularly in
basketball. With Joel Orellana |
