ADAMSON scored a pair of big victories over league-leader Far Eastern University (FEU) and gritty University of Santo Tomas (UST) last week, thanks to the one-two punch duo of Eric Camson and Janus Lozada.
The 6-foot-3 Camson proved that he is a force to reckon with inside the court after he ended FEU's eight-year domination over the Falcons last Thursday.
The 20-year-old discovery from Batangas silenced the other side of the Araneta Coliseum by tipping in an Alex Nuyles miss with 2.2 seconds left, to formally end the nip-and-tuck affair at 64-63.
Janus Lozada, for his part, saved the Falcons from an imminent loss last Sunday over UST after he nailed nine points outside the rainbow country, including a triple 3.8 seconds left in the first overtime that tied the count, 70-70, and extended the game for another five minutes.
The Falcons then went steadier and never looked back as they handed UST's fourth straight loss in the 73rd University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP).
With these back-to-back thrillers, the two players were named as the Accel-Filoil UAAP Press Corps Players of the Week, after helping Adamson cruised to solo second at 7-2.
"I think slowly we're maturing as a team. This is our biggest statement," said Adamson coach Leo Austria. "In the past, we've had criticisms that we always collapse in the end game. But I think those experiences helped us a lot."
Camson averaged 12.5 points and 8.5 rebounds, while Lozada had 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in last week's pulsating victories.
"I just have to hail our players. They refused to lose and they won't give up," said Austria.
Camson and Lozada won the weekly citation presented by Gatorade and Terrilicious over Ateneo's diminutive guard Emman Monfort and Far Eastern University's main man RR Garcia, the current leader in the tight Most Valuable Player (MVP) race based on statistical points in the first round.
"It's important for us that we develop our character. We'll need it in the playoffs," said Austria. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)