Ascof nips Treston 5; Lhuillier up

MANILA, Philippines - Edwin Asoro and Vic Manuel came through with crucial plays in the last 4.4 seconds as Ascof Lagundi foiled Treston-Laguna, 89-85, to become the first team to post a win in the joint venture of the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) and Liga Pilipinas at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium yesterday.

The 6-foot-4 Asoro scored on a breakaway to shatter the 85-all count then Manuel hit two pressure-packed charities to power Ascof Lagundi past the Laguna squad in the inaugurals of the Tournament of the Philippines.

Though they dominated the Stallions with inside game from the start, the Cough Busters nearly folded up down the stretch on a series of errors.

“We made a lot of mental errors in this game. We broke our own rhythm but luckily our defense came through down the stretch,” said Ascof Lagundi coach Carlo Tan.

The team owned by Pascual Laboratories goes for a semis berth when it battles fellow PBL team Agrinurture Inc.-FCA today.

Ascof-Lagundi went ahead at 87-85 as Asoro scored on a fastbreak off a pass by Raymond Aguilar from a loose ball scramble. He drew a foul from Ricky Ricafuente with 4.4 seconds left but missed the bonus shot.

M. Lhuillier-Cebu, on the other hand, rallied in the second half as they pulled off an 86-73 victory over Ani FCA in the other game.

The Niños trailed by 14 points, 37-23, in the second quarter but outscored the Cultivators, 36-20, in the third behind former pro Stephen Padilla to take the lead for good.

“We were struggling early because we haven’t played a tournament since winning the Liga crown last November,” said coach Yayoy Alcoseba. “Luckily we were able to make adjustments with our pressure defense. I think we will do better in our next game.”