.
Home
Cobra Energy Drink got tired of losing game after game after game.
So the Iron Men turned their fortunes around on Tuesday.
Robby Zablan’s free throw with 9.4 seconds remaining broke a tied game and the Iron Men held on for a 62-60 decision over DUB Unlimited to snap a seven-game losing skid in the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup at the San Juan gym.
The Wheelers had a chance to steal victory but Raymond Aguilar and Jeric Teng couldn’t deliver as Cobra Energy Drink shut down the lane to prevent that make it difficult for their opponents to maneuver with time winding down.
“Ang sarap ng feeling. We’re just fortunate they [DUB] ran into a maze of turnovers in the stretch and we capitalized on that,” offered Cobra Energy Drink coach Jerry Codinera on their come-from-behind victory.
He said their breakthrough provided them some sort of achievement, the same way they felt when they notched their first win in the last UAAP.
Jam Cortes had an A-1 game, finishing with 15 points and 11 rebounds to show the way for Cobra Energy Drink, which outscored DUB Unlimited, 23-11, fourth quarter.
Both teams are already out of the playoff race but Codinera said he keeps on telling his troops to stay focus and never give up.
“I’m telling them D-League is a tough league and to win against any team in this league is a bragging right,” he said.
It was a frustrating loss for the Wheelers who enjoyed a 51-40 advantage early in the fourth but went into a series of turnovers and missed many attempts on poor shot selections.
Mar Villahermosa scored 17 points for DUB Unlimited which committed seven of their total 16 turnovers in the fourth quarter and fell into a tie with Cobra Energy Drink on 1-7 record.
Dave Coros
The scores:
Cobra Energy Drink 62 – Cortes 15, Noble 12, Zablan 8, Casajeros 7, Cubo 6, Flores 5, Enguio 5, Sumido 2, Stevens 2, Nimes 0, Tagarda 0.
DUB Unlimited 60 – Villahermosa 17, Teng 9, Pascual 8, Aguilar 7, Leynes 6, Gomez 6, Zamar 3, Bustos 2, Hugnatan 2, Melegrito 0, Bolos 0.
Quarters: 13-14; 30-30; 39-49; 62-60
Source: PBA D-League
