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| PBA |
By Dugout Philippines
QUEZON CITY--Victoria Sports-MLQU got itself the silver lining it hoped for, turning back Blu Detergent, 85-76, to wrap its 2017 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup stint Tuesday at JCSGO Gym.
Fighting for pride, Victoria banked on Robbie Herndon to carry the load, finishing with 19 points and 13 rebounds to snap its three-game losing skid and finish the conference with a 2-7 record.
“Sabi ko sa players na tapusin namin ng maganda yung liga. Kahit na winless yung kalaban, hindi namin sila dapat binabalewala,” said coach Jinino Manansala.
Michael Ayonayon chimed in 14 markers and 10 rebounds, Ryusei Koga added 11 points and four assists, and Jayson Grimaldo had 10 markers and nine rebounds for Victoria, which missed the services of Aris Dionisio who was out due to personal reasons.
Already eliminated from the playoff race, Victoria stamped its class over the Dragons, slowly pulling away before establishing a 17-point edge, 65-48 with 8:17 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Despite the exit, Manansala can take pride knowing that his players made the most of their experience.
“This was really a good experience for us. Mahirap tanggapin yung laging talo, pero malaking bagay na yung experience na nakuha namin dito,” he said.
Tristan Perez wound up with 19 points and nine rebounds for the Blustar squad, which went winless in its nine games this conference.
Box Scores:
Victoria-MLQU 85-Herndon 19, Ayonayon 14, Koga 11, Grimaldo 10, Lao 9, Nicholls 9, Ragasa 7, Bitoon 6, Baliday 0, Cariaga 0, Dela Cruz 0, Puspus 0, Rivera 0
Blu 76-Perez 19, Ang 12, Choong 11, Mak 10. Melano 10, Kwaan 7, Heng 3, Liaw 2, Chin 2, Ong 0
Quarterscores: 20-15, 42-31, 61-48, 85-76
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