PHOTO COURTESY: UAAP MEDIA
KEANNA WREN
UAAP Women’s Basketball: Adamson breeze past UE, UP shocks DLSU with late comeback
Adamson University ended the first round of the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Basketball Tournament, securing a solo third place following a 63-51 win against University of the East on Sunday, October 6, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The Lady Falcons delivered a stellar performance for their Season 87 campaign, closing out the first round with a 5-2 record. The last time they achieved this much success was when they finished third place after losing against De La Salle University back in Season 75 in 2012.
“I’m very happy with how the first round went for us. It’s all about the effort of the players. On our part, we’ll just guide them,” said Lady Falcons head coach Ryan Monteclaro.
The third quarter became a challenge for the Lady Falcons as they had to weather UE’s charges. The Lady Warriors kicked off the second half with a 16-6 run fueled with Ivy Yanez’s eight-point surge to cut the deficit to 47-37.
However, Adamson was able to quickly regain their composure with nine unanswered points in the final period as their lead ballooned to 56-37 advantage eventually sealing the game to secure their fifth win of the season.
Monteclaro fielded all of 16 of his players, with 13 of them getting on the scoresheet.
Kim Limbago tallied 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting with three assists, two rebounds, and one steal for the Lady Falcons. Kim Adeshina supplemented seven markers, 11 boards, three blocks, one deflection, and one dime, while Angela Alaba contributed seven points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Yanez led the Lady Warriors with 16 markers, six boards, three dimes, and one block, while Katherine Ruiz and Aliyah Ronquillo supplied 12 and 10 points, respectively, in the losing effort.
On the other hand, University of the Philippine eked out a come-from-behind win, 66-62, over De La Salle University to end a two-game losing skid.
Their hard-earned victory registered them a 3-4 record to place them in fourth place in the league standings.
"I'm just really so happy we won in the last game of our first round. We lost two consecutive games before this so we badly needed this entering the second round. I'm really proud of the girls that we held on and fought back from a huge deficit," UP coach Paul Ramos said.
Entering the final period, three clutch three-pointers courtesy of Achrissa Maw, Christi Bariquit, and Rizza Lozada propelled them to a 61-60 advantage with just 3:38 on the clock.
The Lady Archers committed three critical turnovers in the final two minutes with Luisa San Juan called for two dribbling violations and a travel by Micay Rodriguez.
Maw led UP’s bounced back efforts with 18 points on 7-of-12 from the field along with eight rebounds, two assists, and one steal, while Gilas Women guard Louna Ozar delivered a double-double of 13 markers, 12 boards, six dimes, and one deflections.
San Juan finished the game with 23 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, while Bernice Paraiso chipped in 13 markers, six boards, and four dimes in the losing effort.
La Salle slipped to a 1-6 record in the first round, tied for last place with Far Eastern University and University of the East in the eight-team league.
THE SCORES:
First Game:
ADU (63) - Limbago 10, Alaba 7, Adeshina 7, Apag 6, Etang 5, Mazo 5, Bajo 5, Ornopia 4, Delos Santos 4, Agojo 3, Alaba 3, Manlimos 2, Meniano 2, Padilla 0, Trabado 0, Cortez 0.
UE (51) - Yanez 16, Ruiz 12, Ronquillo 10, Ganade 6, Kone 5, Cruz 2, Lumibao 0, Gomez 0, Vacalares 0, Buscar 0, Dalguntas 0.
Quarter Scores: 23-6, 41-21, 53-37, 63-51
Second Game:
UP (66) – Maw 18, Ozar 13, Pesquera 11, Bariquit 11, Tapawan 8, Lozada 5, Mendoza 0, Jimenez 0, Barba 0, Sauz 0, Solitario 0, Nolasco 0, Quinquinio 0, Vingno 0.
DLSU (62) – San Juan 23, Paraiso 13, Sario 7, Dalisay 5, Camba 5, Mendoza 4, Sunga 3, Barcierto 2, Santos 0, Rodriguez 0, Dela Paz 0.
Quarter Scores: 17-15, 35-33, 46-56, 66-62
News
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"Earth Friends Tokyo Z would like to inform you that we have reached a basic agreement with Jamie Malonzo for the 2026-2027 season," the club wrote.
Malonzo left Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in 2025 to pursue a professional basketball career abroad and signed with Kyoto Hannaryz last season. However, he was later waived by the team.
He played only five games in the organization before being released, averaging 1.5 points and 1.2 rebounds per game during his stint.
Dwight Ramos has agreed to a basic contract with the Levanga Hokkaido for the 2026-2027 season, the team announced on Instagram.
He averaged 12.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game during the previous season.
Ramos has been with the organization since 2022 after his rookie year contract with the Toyama Grouses expired.
Filipino-American NBA player Jordan Clarkson has re-signed with the defending champion New York Knicks on a one-year, $3.9 million contract.
Clarkson averaged 10.8 minutes per game during the Knicks' championship run. His role as a scoring spark off the bench helped ease the workload of the team's starters and provided valuable depth throughout the 2025-2026 NBA season.
His impact and influence played a crucial part in helping New York contend for and ultimately win the championship during the previous season.
The Knicks captured the 2026 NBA title against the San Antonio Spurs, ending a championship drought that lasted nearly half a century.
He also posted on his Instagram account following his extension with the Knicks.
"still in this dream, NY! run it back! love ," he wrote.
John Amores is returning to professional basketball after signing a one-conference contract with the Titan Ultra Giant Risers.
Titan welcomed him through a Facebook post, announcing his comeback representing the team.
"A NEW CHAPTER STARTS NOW. Welcome back to the PBA, John Amores. Welcome to the Titan Ultra Giant Risers family. Let’s get to work," they wrote.
Before his professional basketball license was revoked, Amores averaged 5.1 points and 1.6 rebounds per game for the NorthPort Batang Pier during the 2024-2025 PBA season.
John and his brother were involved in a shooting incident in Laguna in September 2024, which led the suspension from the PBA, along with revoking his license by the Games and Amusements Board (GAB).
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Taka Minowa, a former head coach in the Premier Volleyball League with the Akari Chargers, will take over as the new head coach of the nat'l team after being recruited by the POC for his service.
The roster is composed of setters with captain Jia De Guzman, Marionne Angelique Alba, Maria Angelica Cayuna; liberos Justine Ylizeth Jazareno, Jennifer Nierva, Dawn Nicole Catindig, Shaira Jardio.
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