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MANILA, Philippines – Adamson University star Jerrick Ahanmisi did not find the words to explain what happened to Soaring Falcons.
They seemed to have made a comeback for age against the University of the Philippines (UP) in their final 4 to make or die. Jerom Lastimosa's triple tied the tight match at 78 and sent him into overtime. There, the Falcons scored six runs in a row for a 84-78 advantage.
But suddenly, he collapsed. UP responded with a 6-0 spurt, connecting the match tied. Ahanmisi had the opportunity to give back to the Falcons, but he was fouled and then had to be replaced by a difficult shot due to a bad case of cramps . His replacement, Jonathan Espeleta, was one of two freebies.
Ahanmisi could not come back in the match and Adamson played the last minute without his best shooter. After Paul Desiderio raised the score to 89-87 for UP, they had one more chance in the last 6.6 ticks. The three pointers from Lastimosa were out of place, and the Fighting Maroons won second and last place in the men's basketball final of season 81 of the UAAP.
"We lost," Ahanmisi said after the match. "There is nothing I can really say, Paul fired, and that's all we lost."
The guard finished with 20 points on 6 shots out of 19 in the game, with 3 rebounds. But he also made 4 turnovers and his tough starts on the field complicated Adamson's slow start to the match.
The fact that he was not even on the ground at the last minute made the loss even more painful.
"Bad timing," he says of his cramps. "Just bad timing."
Ahanmisi said that they were silent in the dugout after the match, while the Falcons were thinking of the brutal end of their season. They had finally managed to qualify in the playoff round, taking second place and twice the advantage of their 10-4 record. The Falcons only needed one more victory to qualify for the UAAP finals for the first time since 1992.
In the final 4, however, they met a UP team determined to end their own drought – a team that has lasted 32 years. Supported by an emotional and passionate crowd, the Fighting Maroons led by 16 points maximum, then showed their coolness in overtime to break the heart of Soaring Falcons.
It was a reversal of the situation, as Adamson had given two painful losses to the playoff round, before UP returned the match in the final stage of the final.
"People were just speechless," said Ahanmisi. "We had nothing to say, really, it's just that … we lost."
When asked if this would be their motivation in Season 82, all that Ahanmisi could say was "I guess" before sighing again.
This is not a season entirely lost for Ahanmisi, because he will be named in the mythical team before the second match of the UAAP final. The guard averaged 18.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists for Adamson in his third season with the team.
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