Racal notched its third straight victory to stay on top of the standings as AMA Online Education got back to its winning ways in separate games Monday in the 2017 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup at JCSGO Gym in Cubao.
Sidney Onwubere got Racal’s offense going to finish with 18 points and power the Tile Masters past Batangas, 91-78.
“It’s our defense which made the big difference for us,” said coach Jerry Codiñera as his Tile Masters stayed as the only unbeaten team with a 3-0 record.
“We had a slow start, but we remained aggressive in the second quarter and, eventually, we were able to pull away.”
Kent Salado chipped in 17 points and six assists, while Jackson Corpuz unloaded seven of his 14 points during the Tile Masters’ second-quarter breakaway.
AMA Online Education also drew a big game from its star as Jeron Teng poured 11 of his 31 points in the payoff period for a 69-61 triumph over Jose Rizal University
New acquisition Gino Jumao-as added 12 points and seven boards, while Jay-R Taganas registered a double-double of 10 points and 16 rebounds to snap AMA’s two-game losing skid.
“The composure of the team was there,” said AMA coach Mark Herrera. “[We considered it a] must win against JRU.”