Nino Gelig, playing against his former team, led the Eagles with 17 points but it was Paolo Bugia and Larry Fonacier who delivered the lethal blows late in the game to tame the Tigers for good.
Coach Sandy Arespacochaga described the win, only their second in seven games, as a big boost to the team, saying: "Malaking bagay sa amin, emotionally and psychologically, ang panalong ito. The boys did another great job."
The Tigers slipped to 4-4 and now need to win their last two games to nail one of two direct berths to the semis.
The lanky 6-foot-5 Bugia shattered a 65-all count with a drive and the 6-foot-3 Fonacier hit his third trey which turned out to be the big kick the team needed to finally break away from a tight and tense battle, 70-65.
After another miscue by the Tigers, Bugia, who finished with 10 points, split his charities to pad the Eagles‚ lead to 71-65 but veteran Alex Compton retaliated swiftly with a driving layup.
In the second game, Viva Mineral Water-FEU hardly worked a sweat on Labor Day as the Water Force rolled to their fifth straight win with a 77-64 decision over Toyota Otis-Letran and grabbed solo lead.
But the Tigers’ offense went awry in the next three minutes as Compton, who exploded for 34 points the last time, missed his next three attempts from the three-point zone. Bugia sealed the win with a power play that put the Eagles ahead, 75-67, with barely 47 ticks remaining.
Jemal Vizcarra, one of the rising PBL stars, had eight points in the first half but was nowhere to be found in the second half as he fell victim to the Eagles’ tight defense. Compton was held to just 12 points.
The 6-foot-2 Gelig was at his element in the third quarter where he sparked a back-breaking 13-4 run that gave them a 60-50 lead. He highlighted that run with a booming triple. Fonacier finished with 13 points while BJ Manalo chipped in 10.
With Vizcarra and Compton unable to find their rhythm, Jerome Paterno took charge in the fourth where he scattered 10 of his 19 points as the Tigers crawled back to tie the count at 65-all.
But the Tigers’ comeback fell short this time.