Basketball

The FilOil Preseason Cup semifinals are set. Who’s your bet on?

By Annika Caniza - August 24, 2022
It’s an all UAAP-school cast for the FilOil semifinals this year. Which teams do you think will see the light of the finals?

After a thrilling quarterfinals round, the FilOil Preseason Cup now has its semifinalists. The FEU Tamaraws, DLSU Archers, NU Bulldogs, and Adamson Soaring Falcons are all moving on.

The knockout semifinals are sure to be reminiscent of the UAAP. These teams are no strangers to one another, but with new factors coming into play, we’re in for an exciting road to the finals.

Tomorrow, NU will be put up against Adamson, while DLSU will face FEU. Who are you putting your bet on?

NU vs. Adamson

Despite lacking five players in their lineup, including John Lloyd Clemente and Steve Nash Enriquez, NU stayed undefeated with their win against San Sebastian last Tuesday.

The Bulldogs stepped up to the plate down the final stretch to keep the team’s win streak alive. With only a slim lead of three points, it was John Figueroa who sparked a streak of shots. The team went on to finish comfortably with a scoreline of 75-64.

JM Galinato scored 19 points and handed four assists for the Bulldogs, leading their team to the semifinals, still undefeated.

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From FilOil EcoOil Sports’ Facebook.

Similarly, Adamson also went on to stun their opponents, the LPU Pirates, to seal their spot in the semifinals.

Although the Falcons did not have their star player Jerom Lastimosa, the entire team worked hard on their overall stability to sweep the game. They finished the first half in the lead, and in the third quarter, even brought their lead to 30 points, 62-42.

Lyceum attempted to stop the bleeding, but the Falcons stayed dominant. Cedrick Manzano and Joshua Yerro both scored 15 points each, leading Adamson to the 83-71 win.

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From FilOil EcoOil Sports’ Facebook.

While Adamson was able to dominate the Pirates, going against the undefeated Bulldogs will be a challenge. Which team do you think will see the final stage of the tournament?

NU and Adamson are set to play tomorrow, August 25 at 3:00 PM.

DLSU vs. FEU

Both the Archers and the Tamaraws came from behind against their opponents to secure their slots in the FilOil semifinals.

Coming into the FilOil tournament, the reigning UAAP champions, the UP Fighting Maroons, were the favorites. But, without some of their key players like Carl Tamayo and Zav Lucero, FEU were able to take advantage.

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Image from FilOil EcoOil Sports’ Facebook.

Coming into the final quarter of the game, FEU was down by eight points, 44-52. The Tamaraws charged forward to go on a 14-5 run, taking the lead from UP by one point with three minutes left in the game.

It was Bryan Sajonia who gave the Fighting Maroons the final blow, converting a shot after running the full-length of the court following a turnover. The game ended 68-61, UP unable to answer back. Sajonia scored a team-high 16 points in the game, with LJay Gonzales and Royce Alforque also making up for 13 points each.

In similar fashion, DLSU had to pull out a comeback in their quarterfinal match against St. Benilde.

The undefeated Green Archers looked like they might have been in for their first loss in the tournament as they trailed St. Benilde by 16 points. Kevin Quiambao stood out for DLSU, leading the team’s charge with 18 points, seven assists, and five rebounds.

With seven minutes left on the clock, the Blazers were down by three points. But, they were unable to close the gap further.

With only a few minutes remaining, it was Kevin Quiambao and Evan Nelle who gave the Archers the two final shots to secure the win. The cherry on top was Schonny Winston’s final three-pointer to end 83-74.

The Archers remain undefeated, but the Tamaraws were able to come together to stun their opponents. Which team do you think has what it takes to make it to the FilOil Preseason Tournament finals?

DLSU and FEU are set to play tomorrow, August 25 at 5:00 PM.