Games Tomorrow (Ynares Arena)
12 p.m. – Boracay Rum vs BDO
2 p.m. – Jumbo Plastic vs Zambales M-Builders
4 p.m. – Cagayan Valley vs Hog’s Breath Cafe
Manila, Philippines – Cagayan Valley tries to keep its winning streak when it battles Hog’s Breath today in the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup at the Ynares Arena in Pasig City.
The Rising Suns are coming off a 104-100 victory against struggling Derulo Accelero last Monday that kept them on top of the leader board in the 14-team tournament with best season start of four consecutive wins.
Their early success doesn’t seem enough, though, to impress coach Alvin Pua.
“We still lack consistency. Our defense needs a lot of improvement. The tournament has just started. The tough battles are still ahead of us so we have to stay focused and continue to improve,” he said.
The Rising Suns should be in for a rough sailing in their scheduled 4 p.m. engagement with the Razorbacks, who are coming off a 13-day break after launching their campaign with an 80-69 romp over Arrelano U last Oct. 31.
Former pro Francis Allera tallied 25 points and Philip Paniamogan had 21 as the Razorbacks welcomed new coach Caloy Garcia with a strong start.
“I thought we did well on our first game. But we missed our bigs who are still playing in the NCAA so we relied on our veterans. Hopefully we could find a way to win when he plat Cagayan Valley,” Garcia said.
In the other games, Boracay Rum tries to get back on the winning track after losing two straight when it faces winless Banco de Oro at 12 noon while Jumbo Plastic takes on Zambales M-Builders at 2 o’clock.
The Waves, who lost successive games against Blackwater Sports and Café France, should have the edge over the Bulldogs with their experience and bench depth.
Banco de Oro has lost its first two games including a frustrating 91-90 decision against Big Chill last Nov. 4 that saw the Bulldogs threw away a four-point lead in the closing seconds.
Hopefully, the Bulldogs’ would be able to turn their fortunes around after a 10-day break.
The match-up between Jumbo Plastic and Zambales M-Builders also promises to be interesting with both teams hoping to pick up the pace and stay within sight of the leaders.