JANSEN Rios scored 18 points in a furious fourth quarter charge as Hog’s Breath Café thwarted Big Chill’s bid for the No. 1 spot with an 84-68 victory on Thursday in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup at The Arena in San Juan.
The Razorbacks outscored Big Chill, 35-11, in teh fourth, including a 15-2 start to stun the Superchargers, who were aiming for the top seeding in the semifinals.
NLEX will formally take the No. 1 seed if it beats Zambales M-Builders in a game being played as of posting time.
While the Superchargers looked pressured to deliver, the Razorbacks were more relaxed as they have already assured themselves of the No. 4 spot in the quarterfinal round.
“We want to enter with a win,” said Hog’s Breath coach Caloy Garcia. “The nice thing was we were able to make the right adjustments because in the next round, we have to be mentally focused.”
Philip Paniamogan and Jonathan Belorio each had 10 points for the Razorbacks, who finished the eliminations with a 10-3 win-loss card.
A Rios three-pointer capped off the fourth quarter start for a 66-59 lead. Another 8-0 run on a Rios slam put Hog’s Breath ahead, 77-63.
Big Chill finished the eliminations with a 11-2 win-loss slate.
The Superchargers lost despite posting a 10-point lead in the third and entered the fourth with a 57-49 lead.
The scores:
Hog’s Breath Café (84) – Rios 18, Paniamogan 10, Belorio 10, Terso 9, Racal 8, Sanga 7, Publico 6, Gabawan 6, Allera 5, Macasaet 3, Ruaya 2, Austria 0, Robles 0.
Big Chill (68) – Cervantes 17, Brondial 14, Maiquez 12, Lozada 6, Heruela 5, Canlas 4, Mirza 3, Belleza 3, Villahermosa 3, Apinan 1, Santos 0, Miranda 0.
Quarterscores: 13-12; 24-25; 49-57; 84-68.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
