Adamson rips NU to fortify hold of No. 2 spot

Bobby Ray Parks had another scoring outburst Thursday, but this time it didn’t result to a victory for National University. Parks scattered 31 points but got little offensive support from his teammates as Adamson coasted to a 68-53 win over NU in the 74th UAAP men’s basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum. The Falcons strengthened their hold of second place with a 7-2 win-loss card for their fourth straight victory as they continue to shadow three-time defending champion Ateneo (8-0). Parks hit more than 30 points for the second time this season. He scored 30 in NU’s 75-66 win over University of the Philippines on July 17. But this time, the 6-foot-4 shooting guard’s offensive output failed to lead NU to victory as the Bulldogs slipped to 3-6 for sixth place. “I don’t care if he scored all the points of the team as long as we stopped the others from scoring because this is a team game," said Adamson coach Leo Austria. Alex Nuyles and Janus Lozada led the Falcons with 13 points each while Roider Cabrera finally had a breakout game with 11 markers. Eric Camson finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds for Adamson, which missed the services of Jan Colina after the veteran big man injured his left ankle in its game against La Salle. The Falcons also avenged their 63-56 first round loss to the Bulldogs on July 31 held at the PhilSports Arena. “The team is really determined to win because they would never forget that loss. They also know that this is an important game because we are moving closer to the Final Four," said Austria. Parks scored all of NU’s 10 points in the first quarter but Cabrera hit 11 markers to give Adamson a 20-10 lead entering the second. The Falcons continued their team play in the second canto for a 37-22 halftime spread. The last player to score 30 or more points and lost the game was Ateneo’s Rabeh al-Hussaini when he made 33 in the Blue Eagles’ 72-66 setback to Far Eastern U on July 31, 2008. Emmanuel Mbe and Dennis Villamor, who played a pivotal role in their first round over Adamson, struggled on offense. Mbe was NU’s second leading scorer in the game with six points while grabbing 13 rebounds while Villamor was held to two markers. – JVP, GMA News