Jeans Makers cruise to No. 5 over Iron Men

MANILA, Philippines - Eric Camson turned in a double-double job as Freego Jeans toppled Cobra Energy Drink, 61-54, in a highly physical duel to stretch its win run to five in the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup at the Adamson University gym yesterday.

Camson, a 6-4 power forward, scored 14 points on six of 11 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds to power the Falcons-backed team to victory at home. He also had three assists and three shot blocks to cap his game-long brilliance.

The Jeans Makers broke away from a tight first half with a big run in the third, taking a 51-40 lead at the end of the period before thwarting a series of Cobra rallies in the fourth.

The Iron Men fell to 0-5.

Earlier, Boracay Rum came through with two key stops in the closing minute as it subdued RnW Pacific Pipes, 63-61, to move up to joint fourth.

Toting Bandaying scored 16 points while Jay Eguilos added 10 points and Maclean Sabelina hit nine markers and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Waves, who tied the Blackwater Elite at 3-2 for a crack at an outright semifinal berth.

Bandaying, who went 6 of 15 from the field, scored on a layup with 67 seconds to go to give Boracay the lead that held until the end as the Steel Masters faltered in the closing seconds.

“They really wanted to win. If we can stay focused all the time, we have a big chance to vie for the top 2,” said Boracay Rum assistant coach Ernesto Ballesteros, who called the shots for the second straight game in the absence of head coach Lawrence Tiongson.

Pacific Pipes actually had two chances to regain the lead in the last 74 seconds but made two costly turnovers – a 5-second inbound violation by guard Virgil Buensuceso after a timeout and a traveling violation by Jim Viray. 

Jovit dela Cruz and King Importante each scored 10 points for the Pacific Pipes which fell to 3-3.