Blackwater survives Café France, claim solo top spot

MANILA, Philippines—Blackwater’s top quartet took over in key stretches as the Elite held off a rallying Café France, 92-86, to claim the solo lead in the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup Tuesday at the Lyceum gym.

As the Elite streaked to their third straight triumph, RnW Pacific Pipes pulled off a thriller with Kevin Racal nailing a nifty left-handed layup with 54.7 seconds left to lift the Steelers past Dub Unlimited, 78-77, in the second game.

“He’s a fighter, that’s why I got him,” Pacific Pipes coach Topex Robinson said of Racal.

Racal, a late addition to the team, fired all but one of the Steelers’ last 11 points for a game-high 25 points.

“We just made the necessary stops in the end,” added Robinson after his Steelers battled back from eight points down, 59-67, to clinch their first victory in two games.

Picking up from Mark Bringas and Jeric Fortuna’s strong start, Clark Bautista and Isiah Ciriacruz combined for 13 points in a 20-10 surge that gave the double-digit spread back to the Elite, 73-62, after the Bakers had rallied within 53-52.

Bautista fired 12 of his 16 points from beyond the arc.

Newcomer Dub skidded to its third straight loss. Café France also remained winless in two outings.

The scores:
First Game
BLACKWATER 92—Fortuna 18, I. Ciriacruz 17, Bringas 17, Bautista 16, G. Ciriacruz 9, Tan 9, Pascual 4, Acidre 3, Afuang 2, Marata 0, Doligon 0.
CAFE FRANCE 86—Montilla 23, Viernes 14, Lucernas 12, Mabayo 10, Parala 9, Dumapig 8, Lamosa 7, Guillen 2, Antipuesto 1, Alquisalas 0, Magbitang 0, Jasmin 0.
Quarters: 23-18, 46-41, 73-62, 92-86
Second Game
PACIFIC PIPES 78—Racal 25, Viray 9, Maiquez 9, Dela Cruz 8, Delgado 7, Ilagan 6, Del Rio 5, Zulueta 4, Importante 3, Miranda 2.
DUB UNLIMITED 77—Aguilar 18, Bolos 13, Villahermosa 11, Zamar 11, Teng 8, Gomez 6, Leynes 4, Bustos 4, Pascual 2, Wong 0.
Quarters: 14-18, 33-34, 55-53, 78-77