Adamson's Fran Flores in action against Ateneo in the UAAP Season 88 junior high school basketball tournament, September 28, 2025 at the Araneta Coliseum. UAAP Media
MANILA -- Adamson University survived a late rally from Ateneo de Manila University, 80-75, to preserve their perfect record in the UAAP Season 88 junior high school basketball tournament on Sunday morning at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Baby Falcons leaned on the clutch time heroics of Edison Jordan and Fran Flores to improve to 3-0, keeping them at the top of the standings.
"Regarding the character of the team, they have this comeback mentality. Sometimes, there just needs to be a wake-up call," said Adamson coach Dante Tongco.
Trailing 64-56 entering the final quarter, Ateneo opened the fourth with a crucial 9-4 run, highlighted by back-to-back layups from Sky Jazul and JD Juangco, cutting the deficit to a single point at 68-67 with 4:48 left.
Adamson stayed composed down the stretch, as two triples from Jordan and an inside basket by Flores pushed the Baby Falcons back up to a nine-point lead, 76-67, with 3:28 remaining.
The Blue Eagles mounted a late push, with Jazul sparking a five-point run to trim the gap to 76-72, but consecutive layups from Vengco restored an 80-73 buffer with 1:20 remaining, sealing Adamson’s dream start to Season 88.
Flores continued to impress with 20 points, five assists, five steals, and three rebounds, while Vengcs Vengco dominated inside, finishing with 14 points, 10 rebounds, two steals, and two assists.
Seb Esma contributed 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, 10 rebounds, three steals, and a block, while Jordan added 12 points, six assists, three rebounds, three steals, and one block.
For Ateneo, Jazul poured in 25 points, six assists, and two steals, while Juangco shone in his return with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, four steals, three assists, and two rebounds. The Blue Eagles remain winless through three games.
UE's Goodluck Okebata in action against UPIS in the UAAP Season 88 junior high school basketball tournament, September 28, 2025 at the Araneta Coliseum. UAAP Media
Earlier, University of the East dominated University of the Philippines Integrated School, running away with an 88-56 victory to claim sole possession of fourth place in the eight-team field.
Fresh off a narrow win over Ateneo last Wednesday, the Junior Warriors were unstoppable this time, sprinting to a 48-24 halftime lead and maintaining control throughout the contest.
Despite building a commanding lead in the first half, UE did not let up. Team captain Goodluck Okebata, James Mesa, and Juan Mallabo led the charge in the third quarter, pushing UP into a 74-39 hole entering the final period.
The Junior Warriors imposed their will on both ends, converting 36 of 75 field-goal attempts, grabbing 52 rebounds, and adding 12 steals and six blocks en route to a dominant 32-point win.
"Again, we emphasized the mismatches coming into this game. I think we have advantage sa big men namin, so we operated in the paint. I wanna point out our shooting din sa three-point territory, we have to improve that heading into the next games," UE head coach Matthew Sia said.
The Junior Warriors scored 62 points in the paint but struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 3-of-20 shots.
Okebata led the way with 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting, along with eight rebounds, five assists, four blocks, and three steals, while Mesa added 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting, nine rebounds, two assists, and one block.
Mark Perdigon contributed 13 points, three rebounds, and two assists, while Mallabo chipped in 12 points and nine rebounds.
For UP, John Addatu paced the team with 12 points, five rebounds, two assists, and a steal, while Kean Poquiz was limited to 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting, adding two rebounds and one assist.
The Scores:
First Game
UE (88) - Okebata 18, Mesa 16, Perdigon 13, Mallabo 12, Ancheta 8, Delos Santos 6, Aguilar 6, Roxas 4, Mercado 2, Felizmenia 2, Pontipedra 1.
UPIS (56) - Addatu 12, Poquiz 11, Bautista 9, Lugatiman 8, Labao 7, Manguerra 4, Rosete 3, Okebata 2, Baldovino 0, Floirendo 0, Sebastian 0.
Quarterscores: 30-16, 48-24, 74-39, 88-56.
Second Game
AdU (80) - Flores 20, Vengco 14, Esma 14, Jordan 12, Iledan 8, Del Monte 5, Vargas 5, Padrejuan 2, Abas 0, Maycong 0.
Ateneo (75) - Jazul 25, Juangco 14, Dela Rosa 11, Castro 8, Bernarte 6, Ngo 5, David 3, Divinagracia 2, Hwang 1, Ylen 0, Llavore 0, Yoro 0.
Quarterscores: 23-12, 39-39, 64-56, 80-75.