MANILA, Philippines - Jim Viray buried six triples in the second half as RnW Pacific Pipes waylaid Cobra Energy Drink, 74-59, to gain a share of fifth place in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup at The Arena in San Juan yesterday.
Viray finished with a game-high 23 points for Pacific Pipes, which broke away in the second period then closed out with a 13-2 run to put away the Iron Men and keep their hopes alive for a playoff berth with a 4-3 slate.
In the second game, Jopher Custodio and Jerry Glorioso each scored 11 points in the fourth quarter as Big Chill rallied to beat Boracay Rum, 85-75, and bolster their chances for a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
“We were a bit rusty coming off a two-week break. We also couldn’t practice as a team because some of my players played for San Sebastian in the Philippine Collegiate Championship League. But I’m glad we pulled this one through,” said Pacific Pipes coach Topex Robinson.
But to get past the elims, Pacific Pipes will have to hurdle the league’s leading teams, including NLEX, Freego Jeans and Blackwater.
“We know it’s going to be tough. But we welcome the challenge. We have nothing to lose. We’ll see where we would go from here,” Robinson said.
Raymond Ilagan scored 14 points and had 13 rebounds while Virgil Buensuceso added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Steel Masters, who pounded the Iron Men off the boards, 54-39.
The Iron Men took their seventh straight loss.
Jam Cortes and Ebrahim Enguio scored 16 points apiece for Cobra Energy Drink, which trailed by 11 points at the end of the third but pulled within four at 57-61 with an 11-4 run to open the fourth.