SUMMARY
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MANILA, Philippines – The 2018 PBA D-League Aspirants Cup moves back to the Pasig City Sports Complex for the usual double-header, Monday, February 19.
First Game: Marinerong Pilipino vs AMA
The powerhouse Marinerong Pilipino Skippers opened the day with a rout of AMA Online Education, 109-93.
The Skippers held a comfortable 20-point lead after the first, 36-16, on the back of strong opening quarters from Rian Ayonayon and Gab Banal. AMA outscored them a bit in the following period thanks to 11 second quarter points from new acquisition Arvin Tolentino but still trailed at the half by 15, 61-46.
In response, Tolentino’s teammate from FEU Barkley Ebona made his presence felt for Marinerong Pilipino in the second half. After scoring just a single point in the first three quarters, Ebona bullied his way to 7 fourth quarter points to help put the game away for the Skippers and their usual rowdy fanbase.
Banal led all scorers in the win with a huge 20-point, 14-rebound double-double. Ayonayon followed him with 18 points of his own including 6 boards and 5 assists.
On the other end, Tolentino immediately made up for a weak first game with AMA with a leading performance of 18 points and 8 rebounds before fouling out in the final period. Robbie Manalang drastically cooled down from his 40-point explosion in the last outing but still finished with 15 points, albeit on a 1/7 clip from three.
Second Game: EAC vs JRU
In the second game, the winless Batangas EAC Generals finally etched their place in the win column with an 81-71 upset over the JRU Heavy Bombers.
The NCAA playoff team was ice-cold against the Generals in the first quarter, getting outscored 8-20. While they picked up the pace with a 22-point second quarter thanks to stronger play from big men Kris Porter and Jeckster Apinan, they still trailed at the half, 41-30.
It was all in all an off day for the Heavy Bombers, as they just couldn’t get into a rhythm after a lackluster third quarter, where they again got outscored 13-25. Not even a furious 15-2 rally in the final frame could save them from falling prey to the win-starved Generals, who have become the last team in the tournament to nail their first win.
Four players scored in double figures for EAC, led by Cedric Ablaza’s 18 points and 11 rebounds. Earvin Mendoza, Cedrick De Joya and Jerome Garcia followed him with 11 points apiece.
For JRU, new acquisition and former AMA player Porter impressed with a team-high 16 points, who ended up tied with Apinan in the box score. However, it was Apinan who had the more well-rounded outing by adding 16 boards in the losing effort.
The Scores:
First Game
Marinerong Pilipino (109): Banal 20, Ayonayon 18, Lopez 9, Pasaol 9, Ebona 8, Robles 8, Subido 6, Tratter 6, Babilonia 6, Toth 6, Olivares 5, Tolentino 4, Inigo 4, Terso 0
AMA (93): Tolentino 18, Manalang 15, Canete 13, Lao 12, Martinez 7, Taganas 7, Garcia 6, Celso 6, Andaya 4, Escalambre 3, Bragais 2, Antonares 0
Quarter Scores: 36-16, 61-46, 88-76, 109-93
Second Game
EAC (81): Ablaza 16, Mendoza 11, De Joya 11, Garcia 11, Laude 8, Diego 8, Bautista 6, Mendoza 6, Dela Pena 4, Neri 0, Estacio 0
JRU (71): Porter 16, Apinan 16, Pontejos 11, Mendoza 10, De Guzman 10, Dela Virgen 5, Esguerra 2, Sawat 1, Ramos 0, Tobiano 0
Quarter Scores: 20-8, 41-30, 66-43, 81-71
Standings (as of February 19, 2018)
Zark’s-LPU 4-1
Akari-AdU 4-1
CEU 2-0
Marinerong Pilipino 4-2
Go For Gold-CSB 3-2
Gamboa-St. Clare 2-1
Wangs-Letran 2-2
Che’Lu-SSC 2-4
AMA 1-3
JRU 1-3
Perpetual 1-3
EAC 1-4
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