CAFE France guns for a quarterfinals berth when it takes on AMA Online Education in the PBA D-League Aspirants' Cup on Monday.
The match starts at 5 p.m. at the JCSGO Gym in Cubao, with the Bakers, coming off an 11-day layoff, looking to score its fifth straight win and sixth in seven games.
Cafe France coach Egay Macaraya said they are trying to improve their defense as they look to put the cuffs on AMA's top scorer Jeron Teng and Juami Tiongson.
"Focus kami sa individual defense. Kailangan naming mabantayan yung scorers nila," said Macaraya, whose team is tied with Racal with a 5-1 card.
Against the Bakers, the Teng-Tiongson tandem will need all the help it can get as the Titans also hope to secure a quarterfinal spot.
A loss, however, will put their campaign in peril as they could fall to the fifth and sixth seeds or they could get the boot in the opening conference.
Meanwhile, Tanduay hopes to arrest a two-game slump while Batangas aims to extend its win streak to three in the 3 p.m. tussle.
Coach Lawrence Chongson remains positive the Rhum Masters can pull through, but they are not taking the Batanguenos lightly.
"We're not taking our opponents lightly," said Chongson, whose team holds a 3-3 card. "Hopefully we can build some momentum and chemistry in our next three games."
Batangas coach Eric Gonzales said the team is trying to capitalize on this momentum as it seeks to improve its 3-4 win-loss record and enter the quarterfinals.
"Hopefully, when we face Tanduay we can maintain the same mindset. enjoy the game and play basic basketball," said Gonzales.
"Again, we're happy with what we have right now, and we're trying to improve on it and also build on it."
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