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Cafe France and Phoenix FEU try to forge a title clash as they go for a sweep of their respective semifinal series in the 2016 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup at Filoil Flying V Center.
The Bakers go for the jugular against Tanduay in their 2 p.m. duel before the Accelerators collide with Caida Tiles in Game 2 of their own series.
Far from convincing in their Game 1 victories, Cafe France and Phoenix brace for a strong fightback from their respective foes.
“Game 1 won’t matter if we don’t get the win in the second game,” said Cafe France coach Egay Macaraya, who piloted the Bakers to the Foundation Cup crown last year.
“We’re one win away from our first goal which is to make it to the championship and we want to finish it up.”
The Bakers took Game 1 with a 65-58 triumph over the Rhum Masters, whose gunners were held to a frustrating outing by an airtight Cafe France defense.
Tanduay coach Lawrence Chongson feels he has figured out a way for his team to overcome the Bakers.
“We need to be more aggressive and more focused,” said Chongson, who struggled to get the best out of main gunners Val Acuña, Rudy Lingganay, and JP Belencion in the series opener.
“We started out flat in Game 1 and we paid dearly for it. Overall, I still like our chances, but we just need to settle down and take care of business.”
The Tile Masters struggled to cope with the Accelerators’ run and gun attack in Game 1, yielding 83-90 and coach Caloy Garcia stressed the importance of playing disciplined basketball.
“Every time we gambled for a steal, they just keep on hitting their layups,” said Garcia, who will rely on ace playmaker Jiovani Jalalon, guard Jonathan Grey and power forward Jason Perkins.