Far Eastern University learned its lesson from the first round, holding off Adamson University, 73-66, to snap its three-game losing streak in the UAAP Season 89 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Tournament on Wednesday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

The Tamaraws opened the season with a 56-53 defeat to the Soaring Falcons after blowing a nine-point lead, 46-37, entering the fourth quarter.

This time around, FEU made sure to protect its advantage, preserving a 58-44 lead heading into the payoff period to secure the victory.

The Tamaraws started their campaign with four consecutive wins but quickly stumbled into a three-game skid before Wednesday’s triumph. The win pushed FEU above .500 at 5-4, tying it with De La Salle University and Ateneo de Manila University for third place.

Meanwhile, Adamson slipped to 4-5, tying it with the University of Santo Tomas for sixth place.

The Soaring Falcons also suffered a setback when Nigerian center Precious Jonah injured his right leg following a collision with teammate Earl Medina and Tamaraw rookie Elias Gish during a boxout at the 5:51 mark of the third quarter. Jonah did not return to the game.

Both teams will return to the SMART Araneta Coliseum next Wednesday, November 4. FEU will face the University of the East at 2:30 p.m., while Adamson will take on league leader University of the Philippines at 5 p.m.

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Adamson University claimed the silver medal after finishing with a 5-1 record in the fifth Asian Universities Women’s Softball Asia Cup on Monday.

The Lady Falcons’ lone loss came on opening day, when they suffered a narrow 0-2 defeat to Japan just hours after beating Hong Kong, 7-0.

However, the tournament at Fu-Hsing Softball Stadium in Puli, Taiwan, was suspended for two days due to Typhoon Champi, forcing organizers to change the competition format to a single round-robin.

Upon resumption on Thursday, Adamson dominated Singapore, 12-2, before shutting out India, 15-0, to improve to a 3-1 record heading into the final day.

Against host Chinese Taipei, the Lady Falcons continued their offensive surge, collecting 15 hits in an 8-2 victory.

Neo Mahinay tallied three RBIs while hitting .500, while Roma Cruz went 3-for-3 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored. Rhea Manalo added two RBIs, while Victoria Magbanua, Reyae Villamin, and Mea Tubongbanua recorded two hits apiece.

Glory Alonzo and April Minanga split pitching duties, with Alonzo closing out the contest with two strikeouts.

In their virtual battle for silver against South Korea, Adamson rallied for a 6-3 victory, scoring five runs across the fourth and fifth innings.

Trailing after South Korea scored three runs in the bottom of the third, the Philippines began its comeback in the fourth when Cruz blasted a solo home run.

The Lady Falcons added two more runs in the frame, highlighted by Jane Sigue’s sacrifice fly, before breaking the game open with a three-run fifth inning.

Jhaycel Roldan delivered the key hit with a two-run double to left-center field, bringing home Cruz and Tubongbanua. Villamin also scored on a wild pitch as the Philippines took control of the contest.

Alonzo earned the win for Adamson.

Japan went on to sweep the tournament.

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Four days after watching a 10-point fourth-quarter lead slip away in a heartbreaking loss to the University of the Philippines, Adamson University found itself on the brink of another late-game collapse. This time, however, the Soaring Falcons refused to let history repeat itself.

Adamson held its nerve down the stretch to outlast De La Salle University, 63-60, on Sunday at the Blue Eagle Gym, closing out the first round of eliminations in third place in the UAAP Season 89 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Head coach Nash Racela and his boys once again built a 10-point lead, this time with a minute left in the third quarter. But the Green Archers mounted a 15-3 run to erase the deficit and take the game down to the wire, tying the contest at 58-all with five minutes remaining.

Unlike in their 69-67 loss to UP last Wednesday, though, the Soaring Falcons refused to fold under pressure, even with the deafening cheers of a predominantly pro-La Salle crowd.

With the game knotted at 58, Matt Erolon drained the go-ahead three-pointer before Manu Anabo put the finishing touches on the hard-earned victory from the free-throw line.

“After that game, I told Monty [Montebon], it’s obvious that they learned something from the UP game,” said Racela.

“The result is different. That’s how you learn, experiential learning. We had to go through that fire for us to be better. Today, we showed resilience. For a while, it looked like we were rattled, but in the end, nagsama-sama sila.”

(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team

For Erolon, who delivered the biggest shot of the game, the clutch triple was a reflection of the trust Racela and the coaching staff had placed in him.

“For me, wala namang pressure ‘yun kasi alam ko namang ibabalik ako ni Coach Nash kasi ‘yung tiwala na ibinigay niya sa akin,” said Erolon.

Racela, for his part, emphasized that the confidence went both ways as the Soaring Falcons continued to grow under his system.

“At this point, my players should know that I trust them so well. And I see slowly that they’re building trust in me,” Racela added.

For an Adamson program that has endured its share of heartbreaks in recent years, close losses can serve as valuable lessons. And for the 24-year-old senior, the setback against UP may have been the turning point the Soaring Falcons needed heading into the second round.

“‘Yung last game, na-learn lang namin ‘yung mga mistakes namin, and then ‘yun masaya kaming lahat na nakuha ‘yung panalo.”

While Racela continues to temper expectations as Adamson prepares for the second round of eliminations, Sunday’s result showed that the Soaring Falcons are becoming more equipped to handle the pressure of tight games.

There is still plenty of work to be done, but if Adamson can continue to learn from both wins and losses, the Soaring Falcons may finally be building the resilience needed to get over the proverbial hump.

And if their first-round battles are any indication, going toe-to-toe with teams that have figured in the last three UAAP men’s basketball finals could prove invaluable as they pursue a stronger second-round campaign.

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