MANILA, Philippines – Adamson University head coach Franz Pumaren gave some pointed comments after the Soaring Falcons saw their perfect start to UAAP Season 81 come to an end.

Winners of five straight heading into Sunday's game, the Falcons were ambushed by Far Eastern University (FEU). They trailed by as much as 17 points in the fourth quarter before battling back, but eventually lost in overtime, 88-85.

• FULL STORY: FEU hands Adamson its first loss in OT thriller

The end of their perfect start was not the most pressing issue for Pumaren. "We're saying, 'sayang 'yung streak, sayang 'yung streak'," he said. "You know, that's why it's called a streak, it's meant to be stopped, it's meant to be broken."

Instead, the multi-titled coach was more concerned about how the loss came about for Adamson. Pumaren acknowledged that FEU played perhaps its best game of the season, but it was also because "we allowed them to play that way."

Usually known for its intensity on defense, Adamson was simply too relaxed in the early goings, and that allowed FEU to get its rhythm. It was only when they fell behind by a large margin that the Falcons gave more effort, Pumaren observed.

"It's just that during the course of the game, we were too relaxed, we just allowed them wide-open shots, simple penetrations. But if you noticed it down the stretch, when we needed some stops, we were able to stop them" he said.

"When we started playing the Adamson way of playing defense, we were able to trim down their lead," he further explained.

Thus, he questioned why his team did not play that way from opening tip all the way to the final buzzer.

"It should always be from the start, that we should be playing aggressive defense," he said.

• READ: Adamson is perfect no more thanks to FEU's Wendell Comboy

In the wake of their first loss of the season, Pumaren wants the Falcons to remember their identity as a team.

"The mentality right now that we should have, our mindset should be that we cannot outscore the other team," he said. "We're winning because of our defense. We're not that type of swashbuckling team that will blow teams away."

"No, we're just a regular Joe, we're just a blue-collar type of team. We have to work hard in every possession, we have to work hard every time on defense," he stressed.

Entering the game against FEU, Adamson gave up just 68.6 points per contest. But the Tamaraws dropped 80 points on them in regulation; indeed, FEU had 67 points through the first three quarters before the Falcons buckled down in the fourth.

"I think this is the first time we gave up so many points," Pumaren rued.

Yet even as he lamented their lackadaisical approach to the game, Pumaren was still proud to see his team battle back and force an extension against the Tamaraws. The "old Adamson," he said, would have rolled over and lost by 20 or 25 points.

"But this time around, it showed the sense of character, that we can make a comeback," said Pumaren. "We just have to make sure that it's 40 minutes, 45 minutes of really good basketball."

"It's just a learning experience for us I guess. I think this type of game will make us a stronger and better team down the road," he also said.

Adamson will try to bounce back on Sunday against De La Salle University – a team that they have yet to beat since Pumaren took over two years ago.

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