Aspirants Cup: Racal lifts Steelmasters to 1st win
Kevin Racal scored the go-ahead lay-up with less than a minute to play to lift RnW Pacific Pipes to its first PBA D-League Aspirants Cup win, a 78-77 edging of DUB Unlimited Tuesday at the Lyceum gym.
Racal's left-handed lay-up settled the final score with 54.7 seconds left and proved to be the dagger as the Steelers grabbed their first win in two games.
Racal, who played for the Letran Knights in the recent NCAA season, actually made 10 of the Steelers' last 11 points to spark a 5-0 close to the game. He finished with a game-high 25 points.
Raymond Aguilar's slam put DUB Unlimited in front, 77-73, with 96 seconds left in the game but that was the last time the Wheelers scored.
"This is a big push for us. I kept telling the guys if we made stops we can win ball games. That's exactly what happened today," said RnW Pacific Pipes coach Topex Robinson.
Racal hit two free throws on a Paul Zamar foul. Jovit Dela Cruz split his charities but RnW Pacific Pipes was able to grab the offensive rebound. That led to Racal's lay-up to give the Steelers the upperhand.
Zamar turned the ball over but Racal failed to convert a lay-up. DUB's Mar Villahermosa failed to convert on a jumper and RnW's Jim Viray won the battle for the loose ball as the final buzzer sounded.
It was a sorry loss for DUB Unlimited, which took a 67-59 advantage with 4:59 left in the game. The Wheelers dropped to 0-3.
Aguilar scored 18 points to lead DUB Unlimited. Nicol Bolos had 13 while Zamar and Villahermosa scored 11 each. — JVP, GMA News
Scores:
RnW 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.
Quarter scores: 14-18, 33-34, 55-53, 78-77.
Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/237882/sports/aspirants-cup-racal-lifts-steelmasters-to-1st-win
