Team Knights secured the top spot of the team standings of the APCRAA Basketball Tournament (ABT) 2018 season elimination round after defeating Team Titans, 87-80 on Saturday, August 18 at the Asia Pacific College Gymnasium.
The win (fourth in a row) gives Team Knights a higher chance of securing the twice-to-beat advantage in the semifinals.
Team Captain Jhonel De Luna led Team Knights in scoring with 24 points and grabbed 10 boards. Mark Rivera comes in second with 19 points, 21 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Team Titans were led by Jaime Juadines with 24 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Rey Prayco had his best game of the season with a career high 22 points, plus 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
The Knights had a strong start in the first quarter and led by as much as 15 points. But the lead got chipped away by Team Titans with the help of Prayco and Juadines, decreasing it to just 3 points by halftime. The duo continued to be in front of the Titans’ charge and grabbed the lead for the first time in the game midway in the third quarter.
By the fourth quarter, Team Knights surged on and tied the game at the 5:15 mark of the fourth quarter, and kept the margin close at the two-minute warning. Crucial misses in the three-point arc hounded Team Titans, allowing Team Knights to get away with the victory.
Team Titans will play their final game against Team ASPAC on August 25 while Team Knights will have a two-week break before playing their last game on September 8 against Team OGs.
THE SCORES (FIBA LiveStats):
KNIGHTS (87): De Luna 24, Rivera 19, Ysulan 13, Tagle 11, Tragico 8, Cerrado 6, Dionisio 4, Dizon 2, Flores 0, Sigue 0
TITANS (80): Juadines 24, Prayco 22, Visconde 12, Corsino 9, Ferrer 9, Sandigan 4, Quilang 0, Cuntapay 0
QUARTERSCORES: 23-10, 42-39, 63-69, 87-80