The Racal Tile Masters fended off a late scare from the Blustar Detergent Dragons to come away with a 90-84 victory, Tuesday evening at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
Engaged in a tight, 39-35 halftime affair, the Tile Masters held the Dragons to a mere two points in the first seven minutes of the third period, breaking away to hold a lead as high as thirty, 74-44, at the end of the quarter.
But Blustar fought back and got to as close as five, 86-81, with 15.4 seconds left before Philip Paniamogan sealed the deal for Racal from the free throw line.
“We were able to get that 30-point lead because we were trapping a lot, but our second group relaxed a bit. But I’ll take that win because a win is a win,” said coach Caloy Garcia.
Racal stayed in step with pacesetters Phoenix and Café France, racking up their third straight victory for a 7-2 record.
Paniamogan led the Tile Masters with 20 points, while Raphael Banal chimed in with 13 markers.
Jonathan Grey also ended up with 11 points, four assists, and three rebounds in the win.
Kuek Tian Yuan anchored the rally for Blustar (1-8) with 22 points and 13 rebounds, while Wong Yi Hou had 14 markers and five boards.
The Scores:
Racal (90) – Paniamogan 20, Banal 13, Grey 11, Celiz 7, Robles 7, Terso 7, Javier 6, Maiquez 6, Neypes 6, Corpuz 3, Gabawan 2, Ortuoste 2, Ambulodto 0, Lozada 0.
Blustar (83) – Kuek 22, Wong 14, Yeo 12, Ting 11, Ma 7, Ong 6, Tiongson 5, Gan 4, Choo 2, Liaw 0, Mak 0, Teo 0, Yim 0.
Quarterscores: 20-19, 39-35, 74-44, 90-83.
