PBA D-League resumes at The Arena

MANILA, Philippines - NLEX and Freego Jeans hope to come out strong from a long layoff as they take on Boracay Rum and Café France, respectively, at resumption of action in the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup at The Arena in San Juan today.

The Road Warriors (5-1) step up their drive for an outright semifinal berth as they collide with the Boracay Rum side (4-4) at 2 p.m. and Pacific Pipes (4-3) on Thursday.

The PBA D-League Foundation Cup champions are trying to keep their four-game winning streak going before their much-awaited encounter with pacesetter Cebuana Lhuillier on Jan. 12 for the coveted top spot.

“Our immediate goal is to win our first two games before we face Cebuana. We want to be in the Top 2 but our game against Boracay Rum and Pacific Pipes will be crucial for us,” said NLEX coach Boyet Fernandez.

But Fernandez remains wary of the Waves, who have won three of the last five games before the holiday break.

“With a very good coach and solid unit, Boracay Rum will be a dangerous team. They could’ve swept their last five games but lost two at endgame,” Fernandez said.

Freego Jeans (6-2), meanwhile, is fancied over Café France (2-5) in their 4 p.m. encounter with the Jeans Makers out to check their skid. They dropped two of their last three games and would need no less than a sweep of their last two assignments to stay in the hunt for an outright spot in the Final Four.

 “Our next two games are really important for us. Those games can give us an opportunity to gain at least a tie for one of two slots in the semis,” said Freego Jeans coach Leo Austria.

 PC Gilmore (2-5) and ousted DUB Unlimited clash in the opening match at 12 noon.
source by The Philippine Star

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Gems fuel outright semis bid, rip Bakers

Cebuana Lhuillier leaned on its top three players to get the job done as the Gems routed Café France, 93-66, to boost their outright semifinal bid in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup Thursday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.

Vic Manuel and the backcourt tandem of Terrence Romeo and Jai Reyes combined for almost half of their team’s output as the Gems strengthened their hold of the No. 1 spot with an 8-1 record.

“For us to be in this position, and considering that we have 11 new players, is already an achievement for us,” said coach Luigi Trillo after his Gems, last year’s runner-up, streaked to their fifth straight triumph.

Earlier, PC Gilmore picked up its second straight victory while eliminating Cobra Energy Drink, 74-64, behind AJ Mandani and Mark Cagoco.

Mandani buried a game-high 17 points and Cagoco had 16, including a key triple in an 11-0 run that pushed the Wizards ahead for good from 53-all.

Coach Art dela Cruz said his Wizards, who joined Café France at 2-5, remain hopeful of reaching the quarterfinals.

“That’s our goal; we think we still have a chance,” said Dela Cruz.

The scores:
First Game
PC GILMORE 74—Mandani 17, Cagoco 16, Celiz 13, Sarangay 6, Acosta 6, Taha 6, Vidal 3, Lim 3, Sorela 2, Foronda 2, Torres 0.
COBRA ENERGY DRINK 64—Sumido 16, Nimes 15, Cortes 12, Enguio 7, Noble 4, Tagarda 4, Cubo 2, Casajeros 2, Flores 2, Zablan 0, Stevens 0.
Quarters: 14-9, 32-30, 45-41, 74-64

Second Game
CEBUANA LHUILLIER 93—Manuel 16, Romeo 15, Reyes 13, Taha 10, Cruz 7, Almazan 6, Atkins 6, Jeffries 6, Mangahas 5, Hayes 4, Eximiniano 3, CelAda 2, Llagas 0.
CAFE FRANCE 66—Mabayo 23, Orbeta 13, Parala 7, Jasmin 6, Lucernas 5, Viernes 4, Alquisalas 4, Montilla 3, Dumapig 0, Abundo 0, Lamosa 0, Magbitang 0.
Quarters: 22-14, 46-18, 67-46, 93-66

source PDI

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Gems try to end 2011 on top of Aspirants Cup standings

Cebuana Lhuillier aims to end the year on top of the standings before the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup takes a Christmas break when it battles Café France at 4 p.m. on Thursday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

The league returns to action on January 3.

The Gems got an early Christmas present as they hold the solo lead in the team standings with a 7-1 win-loss card following Freego Jeans' (6-2) loss to the NLEX Road Warriors (5-1), which is now in second place.

Cebuana Lhuillier coach Luigi Trillo said that Café France should not be overlooked even with the Bakers' 2-4 win-loss slate.

"We can't look past Café France. They are a school-based team anymore. They have added pieces from different schools," Trillo explained. "Remember they were up by 18 points against PC Gilmore, so we know how capable they are."

That 18-point lead by Café France, however, didn't translate into a win as PC Gilmore came storming back for an 82-80 triumph last Monday so the Bakers will definitely look to bounce back from that heartbreaking loss.

With Freego's defeat, Cebuana Lhuillier is on course to clinch one of the two outright semifinals berths although Trillo does not want to take its next opponent—the NLEX Road Warriors on January 12.

"The semis is within reach but it does not happen for us if we lose this game. So again, we have to take care of business," Trillo said.

In the first game, Cobra Energy Drink takes on PC Gilmore at 2 p.m. with both teams fresh from scoring their first wins of the season early this week.

Both teams hope to avoid the humiliating tag as the conference's cellar dweller. PC Gilmore is the better team in terms of team standings with 1-5 while Cobra is at the bottom with 1-7. — source JVP, GMA News

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Cobra finally notches first win

MANILA, Philippines — Robby Zablan hit a crucial free throw with 9.4 ticks left as Cobra Energy Drink finally quenched its thirst for a victory, edging out DUB Unlimited, 62-60, in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup at the San Juan gym.

Zablan, a former guard for AMA Computer University, broke a 60-all tie by splitting his charities before the Ironmen forced the Wheelers' Jeric Teng to miss a potential winning shot on the next possession to end their futility.

It was a sweet triumph for Cobra, which started the tournament with a 0-7 record and appeared headed for another sorry defeat when DUB led 51-40 in the early moments of the payoff period.

"God is good," said a jubilant coach Jerry Codinera. "Ang sarap ng feeling. We’re just fortunate that DUB ran into a maze of turnovers in the stretch and we capitalized on that."

In the other game, NLEX secured its fourth straight win with a 76-59 rout of Freego. The back-to-back seeking Road Warriors gained solo second with a 5-1 record while the Jeans Makers fell to third at 6-2.

Codinera, a PBA legend, actually endured the same fate when his University of the East squad started the recent UAAP season with a 0-6 start before securing a breakthrough victory over a Bobby Ray Parks Jr.-led National University.

Center Jam Cortes of Letran posted a double-double for Cobra with 15 points and 11 rebounds while JM Noble of UE added 12 markers. Zablan had eight points, including the game-winning free throw.

Mar Villahermosa of San Beda had 17 points for DUB in a losing effort. The Wheelers fell to 1-7.

source By JONAS TERRADO mb.com.ph

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Gems battle Waves for solo D-League lead

MANILA, Philippines—Cebuana Lhuillier shoots for the solo lead against unpredictable Boracay Rum in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup Monday at the San Juan Gym.

Although assured of at least a quarterfinal berth with a 6-1 card, the Gems hope to further boost their outright semifinal bid in the 4 p.m. duel against the Waves, who are in the middle of the pack at 4-3.

The Gems boast a solid lineup led by Vic Manuel, but coach Luigi Trillo said the Waves remain as one of the unpredictable teams in the league.

“You never know what to expect with coach Lawrence (Chongson),” said Trillo. “He can zone, man or trap. My concern is that they are a very good fast-breaking team. They frustrate teams with their tenacity on defense.”

Café France, holding a 2-3 record, tries to lift its own quarterfinal hopes against the winless PC Gilmore at 2 p.m.

Trillo expects the Gems to do better at the boards with the 6-foot-7 duo of Yousef Taha and Raymond Almazan back in their roster.

“For us to control Boracay Rum, we need to win the rebounding department,” said Trillo as the Gems try to extend their winning run to four.

Taha, the Filipino-Palestininan standout from Mapua, just got his clearance from the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation, while Almazan missed the Gems’ last three games as he suited up for Letran

The Waves, sharing fifth spot with the idle Pacific Pipes, also remain in the running for the quarterfinal bonus.

Only the top two teams at the end of the eliminations will go straight to the semifinals, while the third and fourth placers will earn the twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinal playoffs.

source | by Jasmine W. Payo | Philippine Daily Inquirer

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Big Chill nails quartersfinals spot

MANILA, Philippines — Leaning on the sizzling duo of Jessie Collado and Jopher Custodio, Big Chill froze winless PC Gilmore, 96-83, to boost its bid for a quarterfinal bonus in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup Friday at the Meralco gym.

Collado and Custodio, both waxing hot from beyond the arc, combined for all but 12 of the team’s 46 first-half points to fuel a strong start and lift the Superchargers to their sixth triumph in nine games.

In the second match, Chris Ellis and RR Garcia teamed up for 43 points as NLEX picked up its third straight triumph, 97-62, versus DUB Unlimited to prop up its own quarterfinal bid.

A 6-foot-1 swingman, Custodio drilled 22 of his 24 points in the first half built on a 6-of-9 shooting clip from three-point range.
Collado, a 6-foot-3 forward from Lyceum-Subic Bay, also nailed 6-of-12 triples to finish with 22 points aside from collecting three boards and a couple of blocks.

The Superchargers already secured at least a quarterfinal berth along with idle leaders Freego Jeans and Cebuana Lhuillier, both tied at 6-1.
The top two teams at the end of the eliminations will secure outright semifinal slots, while the third and fourth placers will earn twice-to-beat incentives in the quarterfinals.

“We are still working on our chemistry, especially on the defensive end,” said Big Chill coach Arsenio Dysangco. “But at least we achieved our first goal of making it to the quarterfinals.”

Calvin Abueva added 15 points in the Road Warriors’ lopsided victory as the defending champions climbed to the fourth spot with a 4-1 record.
Dub Unlimited skidded to its sixth loss in seven games, while PC Gilmore remained winless in five outings.

The scores:

First Game
BIG CHILL 96—Custodio 24, Collado 22, Ponferrada 15, Reyes 15, Mallari 10, Jensen 6, Glorioso 2, Maconocido 2, Tan 0, Santos 0, Dizon 0.
PC GILMORE 83—Agas 19, Sarangay 16, Vidal 13, Mandani 12, Cagoco 8, Taha 7, Sorela 4, Celiz 2, Acosta 2, Foronda 0.
Quarters: 24-18, 46-36, 71-59, 96-83

Second Game
NLEX 97—Ellis 22, Garcia 21, Abueva 15, Hodge 10, Sangalang 8, Taganas 6, Monfort 6, Co 4, Suguitan 3, Dehesa 2, Belencion 0, Reyes 0.
DUB UNLIMITED 62—Teng 17, Zamar 13, Aguilar 9, Gomez 6, Hugnatan 6, Bolos 4, Leynes 3, Melegrito 2, Gonzales 2, Bustos 0, Tapang 0, Maniago 0.
Quarters: 24-9, 49-31, 74-51, 97-62

source | By Jasmine W. Payo | Philippine Daily Inquirer 

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