MANILA – Far Eastern University-Diliman and Adamson University started strong in the UAAP Season 88 junior boys’ basketball tournament, both scoring convincing victories on Saturday at the University of Santo Tomas Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila.

The defending champion Baby Tamaraws overwhelmed Ateneo de Manila University, 91-80, to open their title defense. They controlled the tempo early, taking a 52-42 advantage at halftime and stretching the lead to as many as 22 points, 77-55, late in the third period.

National youth standout Prince Cariño powered FEU-D with 30 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. He was backed up by Dwyne Enriquez, who came up with an all-around performance of 25 points, 11 boards, seven assists, six steals, and three blocks.

Coach Muriel Garcia reminded his squad of the importance of securing early wins.

“I told them we need to work right now. If we can win, let’s take it so we don’t run into problems in the second round,” he said. “We don’t want the boys to relax because we know what happened before—we had the twice-to-beat advantage but still lost to UST. We’ll keep fighting until the end.”

Supporting FEU-D’s charge were Prince Pineda (six points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals, one block) and Dwayne Cañete (six points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals).

For Ateneo, Domeng Ngo tallied 16 points, three rebounds, and two assists, while Sky Jazul delivered 14 points, six steals, four rebounds, and four assists.

In the second game, Adamson University imposed its will against De La Salle-Zobel, cruising to an 85-69 triumph. The Baby Falcons built a commanding 77-57 lead with just over seven minutes left in the final quarter.

Keefe Iledan anchored Adamson with 17 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, and two blocks. He got ample support from Kyles Abas, Seb Esma, and Fran Flores, who combined for 15 points each alongside steady contributions in rebounding and playmaking.

Uno Del Monte chipped in 12 points, five rebounds, and two assists, while Esma also posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Coach Dante Tangco, who is in his first season with Adamson, expressed optimism after the win.

“This year, we’re looking forward to doing better than last year. We want to achieve more and perform well,” he said.

The Baby Falcons finished seventh out of eight teams in Season 87.

For La Salle-Zobel, Enzo Parugganan carried the fight with 28 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals. John Mindanao added nine points and a steal.