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| PBA |
QUEZON CITY—Batangas battled back from 22-points down and escaped with a thrilling 97-96 victory over Wangs Basketball Tuesday in the 2017 PBA D-League Aspirants' Cup at JCSGO Gym.
Trailing 92-70 early in the fourth, the Batanguenos unfurled a scathing 27-4 run to end the game, with Yutien Andrada finishing off the fightback with the go-ahead tip in the last 11.9 seconds to secure the win.
"At halftime, I challenged the players and told them if they didn't have pride. I told them to find it within themselves to make a way and it's a good thing that we were rewarded with this," said coach Eric Gonzales.
Cedrick De Joya dropped 10 of his 19 points in the fourth frame, alongside five rebounds, while Sedurifa had 13 of his 18 markers in the fourth quarter, to go with his 11 boards and seven assists.
Andrada got 13 points and 11 rebounds in his Batangas debut, while Raymond Inciong and Jhygrus Laude combined for 20 markers.
Batangas snapped its two-game slide to improve to a 2-4 record, while Wangs fell to a 1-5 slate.
It was a sorry defeat for the Couriers as they lost hold of a 59-37 halftime lead.
Von Tambeling led Wangs with 21 points, five rebounds, and three assists, while Rey Publico and John Tayongtong both wound up with 15.
In the first game, AMA Online Education avoided a huge upset and pulled the rug under Blu Detergent, 83-78.
Juami Tiongson and Ryan Arambulo took control for the Titans late as they unleashed a killer 12-1 blast to turn a six-point deficit, 75-69 in the last 4:29 to a commanding 81-76 lead with 37.3 seconds remaining.
"Sabi ko sa mga players, it's all about our pride and composure. Alam namin na kaya namin silang talunin pero nauna mag-relax kaya nagkaroon ng kumpyansa ang kalaban," said Coach Mark Herrera.
Tiongson topped AMA with 23 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and two steals, while Arambulo wound up with 20 markers and six boards.
JR Alabanza was also a rock down low, tallying 16 points, 12 rebounds, and eight blocks in the win.
The Titans stretched their streak to three and improved to a 5-2 record, while Blu remained winless at 0-5 after squandering a nine-point edge, 64-55, at the end of the third quarter.
Kwaan Yoong Jing carried the Dragons with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Mak Long Seng got 15 markers and five boards.
Box Scores:
First Game:
AMA 83-Tiongson 23, Arambulo 20, Alabanza 16, Barua 7, Taganas 5, Macaranas 4, Bragais 2, Jordan 2, Flores 2, Riley 2, Jumao-as 0, Carpio 0
Blu 78-Kwaan 16, Mak 15, Ang 11, Perez 11, Liaw 10, Ong 6, Melano 6, Heng 3, Choong 0, Chin 0
Quarterscores: 24-20, 43-42, 55-64, 83-78
Second Game:
Batangas 97-De Joya 19, Sedurifa 18, Andrada 13, Inciong 10, Laude 10, Sara 7, Isit 5, Lascano 5, Ablaza 4, Dela Pena 3, Mangabang 3, Ada 0, Anderson 0, Fortu 0.
Wang's 96-Tambeling 21, Publico 15, Tayongtong 15, Regalado 13, Montuano 12, M. Gomez 10, Labing-isa 5, King 3, Brana 2, Enriquez 0, Salcedo 0.
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