UAAP: Red Warriors ground Falcons, 71-63

Teetering on the brink of missing the Final Four, University of the East kept its slim hopes alive by beating semis contender Adamson University. UE went to the veteran guard tandem of James Martinez and Paul Lee alongside big man Kenneth Acibar and rookie Lord Casajeros in pulling to pull off a stunning 71-63 win over Adamson on Saturday in the 73rd UAAP men's basketball tournament at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.

Martinez, playing his final season for the Red Warriors, scored nine of his 16 points in the fourth quarter as the Recto-based dribblers improved to a 3-7 slate but remain 3 1/2 games behind La Salle for the last semifinals berth. If UE hopes to avoid missing the Final Four for the first time since 2001, it will have to sweep its last four games and hope that either La Salle (6-3) or Adamson, which fell to 7-3, would suffer a major collapse. "Our backs are against the wall," said UE coach Lawrence Chongson. "We need to win our last four games then hope that the other teams would struggle down the stretch." Aside from Martinez, Acibar and Casajeros also provided huge help on both ends of the floor. The lanky Acibar, who has somehow showed his worth as the successor of pro-bound cagers Elmer Espiritu and Pari Llagas in the shaded lane, posted another double-double with 15 points and 16 rebounds to go with his four blocks. Casajeros, meanwhile, had 14 points and four rebounds and was a huge factor in the defensive end as he helped limit the offensive production of Alex Nuyles and Lester Alvarez. Martinez, receiving a pass from Lee on a transition play, buried a three-pointer to push UE to a 62-60 lead with under four minutes left in the game. Acibar made consecutive baskets for a 66-60 lead as the Red Warriors held the Falcons to a single field goal in a five-minute stretch. Adamson tried to close the gap when Roider Cabrera drained a triple for a 66-63 deficit but the Leo Austria-mentored squad went scoreless from there, with Martinez sealing UE's victory with a shot clock-beating teardrop shot with 1:15 to go. "I guess the difference now is that we know each other on the court than in the first round," said Martinez. Jan Colina led Adamson's losing cause with 14 points and seven rebounds while Eric Camson added 13 markers and eight boards. Nuyles and Janus Lozada, who played solidly in the Falcons' previous games, were inconsistent this time combining for 10 points and had the same number of turnovers. Nuyles also had four rebounds and three assists while Lozada committed six TOs. The loss snapped the Falcons' four-game winning streak, perhaps the San Marcelino-based squad's longest in the last 20 years. – JVP, GMANews.TV