MANILA, Philippines – The Adamson Baby Falcons are now alone on top of the UAAP Season 85 boys’ basketball standings after handing the Nazareth-NU Bullpups their second defeat in the last four games, 72-64, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre on Wednesday, February 15.

Peter Rosillo played a clean game with 22 points on 9-of-19 shooting with 5 rebounds and no turnovers, while Vince Reyes (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Carlo Bonzalida (10 points, 11 boards) both put up double-doubles in the win that earned Adamson solo first place with a 9-1 record.

NU’s top dog Reinhard Jumamoy led all scorers with 25 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals in just 28 minutes, as RJ Colonia followed up with 19 points in the loss that sent the Bullpups down to an 8-2 slate in second place.

Prior to that showdown, the FEU-Diliman Baby Tamaraws stayed on track for the coveted twice-to-beat Final Four advantage with a 98-75 mauling of the UST Tiger Cubs for a share of second at 8-2.

Kirby Mongcopa seized the spotlight with 28 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals, 4 assists, and 1 block in just 24 minutes of action, while Luke Felipe backstopped the effort with 23 points and 6 boards.

Cabs Cabonillas scattered 13 points, 10 rebounds, 5 steals, 3 dimes, and a game-high plus-minus of +32 as Janrey Pasaol continued to live up to his billing as the league’s top assist man with 7 points and a game-high 13 dimes in only 22 minutes.

JP Pangilinan was the lone bright spot for UST with a game-high 29 points on 11-of-19 shooting to go with 8 boards and 5 steals as the Tiger Cubs slid to a 4-6 record for fourth place.

Ateneo denies UPIS upset; UE completes stunner over La Salle

In the other games of the day, the Ateneo Blue Eagles denied their Katipunan neighbor UPIS Junior Maroons a skid-stopping upset with an 88-82 escape to rise to a 4-6 record in joint fourth place.

League-leading scorer Kristian Porter continued to display his sky-high potential with a gargantuan 25-point, 24-rebound double-double plus 5 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal to boot in 33 minutes.

Jordan Salandanan and Troy de Guzman each scored 15 off the bench in 18 and 15 minutes, respectively, to cover up for Lebron Nieto’s forgettable 6-point game on 0-of-10 shooting.

UAAP top blocker Kobe Demisana again saw a massive line of 28 points, 19 boards, 7 rejections, 5 assists, and 2 steals go to waste as UPIS dropped its ninth game in 10 tries. Jonas Napalang likewise scored 28 in a full 40-minute run.

Finally, in the day’s curtain-raiser, the UE Junior Warriors broke free of the cellar it shared with UPIS after an 82-77 upset of the La Salle-Zobel Junior Archers for a 2-8 record.

Vhon Roldan topscored in the morale-boosting win with 27 points and 9 rebounds, while John Bagro and Yuri Duque added 14 and 13 points, respectively.

Rhyle Melencio, the league’s top rebounder, added 20 more boards to his bag to go with 26 points in the sorry defeat as Kieffer Alas finished as the only other La Salle double-digit scorer with 22.

With the loss, the Junior Archers settled for a 4-6 slate, locking themselves in a three-way tie at No. 4 with UST and Ateneo.

The Scores

First Game

UE 82 – Roldan 27, Bagro 14, Duque 13, Gatchalian 11, Flores 5, Malonzo 5, De Leon 3, Gragasin 2, V. Reyes 2, Arcega 0, F. Reyes 0, Caldit 0, Morales 0.

DLSZ 77 – Melencio 26, Alas 22, Dimaano 9, San Agustin 9, Melecio 7, Chang 2, John 2, Pabellano 0, Espina 0, Sta. Maria 0, Legaspi 0.

Quarters: 27-15, 51-28, 70-54, 82-77.

Second Game

FEU 98 – Mongcopa 28, Felipe 23, Cabonilas 13, Miranda 10, Pasaol 7, Pascual 5, Daa 5, Salangsang 3, Burgos 2, Pre 2, Cabigting 0, Castillejos 0, Herbito 0.

UST 75 – Pangilinan 29, Bucsit 11, Buenaflor 9, Manding 7, Llemit 5, Zanoria 5, Esteban 4, Tesocan 3, Ayon 2, Jumao-as 0, Velasquez 0.

Quarters: 28-22, 53-32, 70-55, 98-75.

Third Game

Adamson 72 – Rosillo 22, Reyes 13, Medina 11, Bonzalida 10, Edding 8, Carillo 6, Abayon 1, Perez 1, Mepaña 0, Garcia 0, Sajili 0.

NU 64 – Jumamoy 25, Colonia 19, Yusi 9, Timbang 3, Perciano 2, Herrera 2, Demetria 2, Alfanta 1, Solomon 1, Tagotongan 0, Usop 0.

Quarters: 12-15, 34-35, 57-45, 72-64.

Fourth Game

Ateneo 88 – Porter 25, Salandanan 15, De Guzman 15, Nieto 6, Adevoso 6, Domangcas 5, Fidel 5, Santiago 4, Arada 2, Ebdane 2, Urbina 2, Tupas 1, Prado 0, Delos Santos 0, Aguirre 0. 

UPIS 82 – Demisana 28, Napalang 28, Valdeavilla 10, Raymundo 10, Villaverde 4, Melicor 2, Gomez de Liaño 0, Cordero 0, Rosete 0.

Quarters: 18-22, 48-43, 68-53, 88-82.

– Rappler.com