Ascof trips Fern-C, keeps slim semis hopes alive

Ascof Lagundi played solid basketball for three quarters and that proved enough to dominate Fern C, 83-71, in Thursday’s PBL PG Flex-Erase Placenta Cup at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City. The Cough Busters opened a 42-26 halftime spread, erected their biggest lead at 31 points late in the third then entered the final period with a commanding 73-44 tear.

They dropped their aggressiveness in the payoff period, allowing the Fernstastics to threaten at 78-71 with still 3:58 left, but went on to regain their bearings to post their third win in six outings and keep their slim semis hopes alive. “We were kind of protecting the lead and tried to milk the clock in every possession. If you protect the lead early, that’s [opponent coming back into the game] what usually happens," said Ascof coach Carlo Tan. Edwin Asoro had 19 points for Ascof, including his team’s first five points in the final period that came after the Ferntastics rattled off 15 unanswered points. John Wilson stood at the forefront of the Fern-C rally, firing 13 of his 21 markers in the final period. Also helping Fern-C cut Ascof's huge lead was its free throw shooting, making 19 points off the 23 foul shots the Cough Busters gave up. Kish Co’s split pushed the Fernstastics closest at seven, 78-71. But the Cough Busters, one of the pre-season favorites, were not to be denied as they put the clamps on Wilson and scored the game’s final five points. It was Ascof Lagundi’s second straight victory that kept them in contention for the semis, however slim. “Our chances of making it to the semis will also depend on the other teams’ performance so I’m not thinking about it right now. What matters is that we play as hard as we can in our last game against Ani-FCA and end this conference on a three-game winning streak which we may use as leverage for our next conference campaign," Tan said. Sean Co added 12 points while Raymund Aguilar chipped in 10 for the victorious team which also displayed better team ball with 16 assists compared to a measly six by Fern-C. Ascof Lagundi also had a 35-13 edge in turnover points while its defense limited Fern-C to just seven points in transition. - GMANews.TV