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| PBA |
By Ivan Saldajeno
PASIG--Blu-Malaysia staved off two fourth quarter runs from Mindanao to take a 98-93 win in a battle of also-ran squads in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup at the Ynares Sports Arena on Tuesday night.
The Dragons lost an 11-point lead and almost bubbled another eight-point cushion but held on to get only their second win of the conference against the still winless Aguilas.
Blu-Malaysia took a 76-65 lead at the start of the fourth quarter, but Choi Ignacio and Gino Jumao-As teamed up to build a 16-4 Mindanao run to give the latter an 81-80 advantage.
The Dragons reclaimed the lead via a 12-3 run for a 92-84 cushion with Kuek Tian Yuan leading the way.
The Aguilas had one final push, going on a 7-1 run to cut the lead to just two, 95-93, with 53.6 seconds left, but that was all they had left in their tank as free throws sealed the Dragons' win.
Juami Tiongson dropped 32 points, while Kuek added 21 for Blu-Malaysia, which has one game left in its D-League stint before team swings back to ABL matters.
Ignacio led Mindanao, which has two chances left to notch at least one win in the season-ending tourney, with 22 markers.
Box Scores:
Box Scores:
Blu-Malaysia 98-Tiongson 32, Kuek 21, Wong 14, Yeo 8, Choo 7, Ma 6, Ong 4, Ting 4, Gan 2, Liaw 0, Mak 0, Palma 0, Teo 0, Yim 0
Mindanao 93-Ignacio 22, Jumao-As 19, Garcia 16, Cawaling 14, Onde 9, Julkipli 6, Rivera 5, Argamino 2, Dadjilul 0, Ongteco 0, Roño 0, Santos 0, Sarangay 0, Tano 0
Quarterscores: 23-18, 44-38, 76-65, 98-93
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
Mindanao 93-Ignacio 22, Jumao-As 19, Garcia 16, Cawaling 14, Onde 9, Julkipli 6, Rivera 5, Argamino 2, Dadjilul 0, Ongteco 0, Roño 0, Santos 0, Sarangay 0, Tano 0
Quarterscores: 23-18, 44-38, 76-65, 98-93
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
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