Robbie Manalang remained a force to reckon with as AMA Online Education finally ended its drought with a 96-93 win over Batangas-EAC in the 2018 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup Monday at JCSGO Gym in Cubao.
Manalang, the former Adamson playmaker, sizzled anew in his second game for the Titans, finishing with a conference-high 40 points on 8-of-16 shooting from three-point zone.
The Titans, who also paraded new signees Arvin Tolentino and Kyles Lao, finally won after four tries.
The Generals slumped to 0-4.
In the second game, Gamboa-St. Clare whipped Jose Rizal U, 93-76, for its third straight win.
The Titans almost lost the game after leading by as many as 28 points as Cedric de Joya, Cedric Ablaza, and Jerome Garcia moved the Generals to within 95-93 in the final 11.0 seconds.
Martinez could only muster a split from the foul line to keep the door open for Batangas-EAC in the last 9.9 ticks, but Earvin Mendoza and Garcia both muffed their attempts that could have forced overtime.
“Maybe the players just got tired,” said AMA coach Mark Herrera. “But we got players who can score. At least now, we have options where we can go in our games.”
Meanwhile, Mila’s Lechon has decided to withdraw from the league, citing internal problems.
Team owner Aika Salanguit made the announcement to discontinue the Mighty Roasters’ campaign in their maiden conference.
Mila’s Lechon ended its stint with a 0-4 card and an average losing margin of 26.3 points—RANDOLPH B. LEONGSON, INQUIRER.NET