Triple threat powers Erasers past Tigers

ERASE Plantcenta turned to the explosive trio of Allan Mangahas, June Dizon and Jet Vidal to overwhelm Junior Powerade, 81-69, yesterday and snap a two-game slide in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup at the Trinity of Asia Gym.

Mangahas dished out a solid all-around effort of 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while Dizon made 14 of his 20 points in the first half, when the Erasers seized control. Vidal sustained the Erasers’ charge with two triples in the final quarter that kept the Tigers at bay.

With the victory, the Erasers improved to 2-3, tying their victims and the Boracay Rum Waves, who earlier held off the Cagayan Rising Suns, 67-65.

The results tightened up the race for quarterfinal berths, especially from among the teams in the middle of the pack.

The top six teams will make the playoffs with the top two getting outright semifinal berths.  The four others will battle it out in the quarterfinals.

While the Erasers had more than enough firepower to rise to the challenge against the Tigers, the Waves blinked and nearly paid for it.

Looking comfortable with a 15-point lead in the third period, the Waves allowed the Rising Suns to forge a comeback and come within a three-point basket of an upset in the dwindling seconds.

Missed free throws and a series of elementary errors by the Waves gave the Rising Suns a lifeline.

Jopher Custodio also nailed three triples in the fourth quarter to spark the Rising Suns’ fightback that eventually fell short when Roger Malig-on missed on an undergoal stab at the buzzer.

“The players know they should have done better,” said Waves assistant coach Estong Ballesteros, who called the shots in the second half after coach Lawrence Chongson felt dizzy and left the bench. “They lost their composure with all the physical play.”

Waves forward Ken Acibar finished with 16 points and grabbed four boards, but the PBA draftee missed seven of his 11 free throws. The Waves actually went 13-of-27 from the free throw line for the game.

The scores:
First Game
BORACAY RUM 67—Acibar 16, Abaya 10, Bandaying 10, Cornejo 9, Eguilos 6, Morial 4, Hermosisima 4, Siruma 3, Sabellina 3, Foronda 2, Rosopa 0, Terso 0.
CAGAYAN 65—Custodio 25, Agas 11, Macuha 6, Castro 5, Arce 5, Tagarda 5, Malig-on 4, Bagares 2, Melano 2, Chiu 0, Lascano 0, Aggarao 0, Galinato 0.
Quarters: 21-17, 42-32, 59-48, 67-65

Second Game
ERASE PLANTCENTA 81—Mangahas 21, Dizon 20, Vidal 19, Ferreria 10, Acosta 5, Vijandre 2, Flores 2, Gomez 2, Torres 0, Faundo 0.
JR POWERADE 69—Padilla 15, Lopez 15, Silungan 9, Hipolito 6, Cubo 6, Manuel 5, Juruena 4, Gamboa 4, Escueta 3, Reyes 2, Wong 0.
Quarters: 24-13, 43-30, 66-55, 81-69