BATANGAS got off to a hot start and held on to stun third seed Cafe France, 91-69, on Monday in the PBA D-League Aspirants' Cup at the JCSGO Gym in Cubao.
Behind Dan Sara, Batangas took a commanding 52-32 lead at halftime in the no-bearing match.
Sara scored all his 16 points in the first two quarters and the Batanguenos went on to wrap up their campaign on a bright note with a 4-5 win-loss record.
Joseph Sedurifa put the finishing touches to the win by scoring 11 of his 16 points in the fourth period where the Bakers threatened to mount a comeback.
Cedrick Ablaza scored 12 and Jessie Saitanan added 11 for Batangas.
Although they made an early exit, the Batanguenos learned a lot from the short stint, according to coach Eric Gonzales.
"Definitely we got something from this and alam ko naman na we just have to keep improving," he said.
"Pasalamat naman ako na yung seed na tinanim namin, tumubo naman."
Cafe France, meanwhile, dropped its second straight game but will still enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals with a 6-3 win-loss record.
Mike Calisaan paced the Bakers with 14 points, while Oliver Arim had 13.
The scores:
Batangas 91 - Sara 16, Sedurifa 16, Ablaza 13, Lascano 12, Saitanan 11, Mendoza 10, Dela Pena 5, Mangabang 4, Isit 2, Laude 2, De Joya 0, Delfinado 0, Inciong 0, Revadavia 0.
Café France 69 - Calisaan 14, Arim 13, Aquino 8, Faundo 7, Manlangit 6, Veron 5, Casino 4, Desiderio 4, Guinitaran 4, Wamar 4, Ebondo 0, Mercado 0.
Quarterscores: 25-18; 52-32; 74-55; 91-69.