Pilipinas Aguilas, Phuket Waves pull off stunner over Statham Academy, Shawarma Shack to barge into win column

The Aguilas neutralized the erstwhile undefeated Statham Academy, 90-88, behind the collective effort of  Moustapha Arafat, Gabe Capacio, Adrian Partosa, and Prince Eze. 

Capacio knocked down a jumper that would help them break an 84-all deadlock and gain a four-point cushion late in the fourth quarter, 88-84. But Taylor Statham buried back-to-back crucial baskets to rally Statham Academy and force another tie with 15 seconds left in the game. 

Arafat, however, drew a foul from Statham then sank the two game-winning free throws to put the finishing kick. 

The 6-foot-6 Arafat, who previously reinforced University of the East in UAAP, finished with a double-double outing of 19 points and 12 rebounds on top of five assists and one steal as the Aguilas improved to 1-2. Statham Academy, meanwhile, slipped to 2-1. 

Phuket Waves vented its ire on Shawarma Shack, running away with a 101-80 victory to capture its breakthrough win and improve to 1-2. Shawarma, on the other hand, dropped to an even 2-2 win-loss card. 

Morakinyo Williams fired on all cylinders to finish with a game-high 23 points on 60 percent shooting while also grabbing eight rebounds, two assists, and three blocks while Ray Miller provided a huge lift by producing 16 markers and a whopping 19 boards.

In other games, both the Benilde Blazers and MisOr Mustangs continued to impose their dominance. 

The Blazers banked on the 20-year-old guard Jhomel Ancheta who poured in 21 points laced with six rebounds and two assists in their 97-74 win against Corsa Tires while Anton Eusebio and Matthew Oli chipped in 15 and 12 markers apiece as the Blazers remained unscathed at 3-0. 

The loss spoiled a 20-point performance from Gerald Anderson, who also had six assists, three rebounds, and two steals as Corsa dropped to 1-2. 

MisOr cruised to its third straight win after carving out a 94-87 win against the struggling Philippine Christian University (PCU) with Axel Doromal anchoring their offense. Doromal shone with 16 points alongside four rebounds, five assists, and two steals to steer the Mustangs to a 3-1 slate and on top of Group A. 

The Scores: 

First game: Phuket Waves bs Shawarma Shack

Phuket 101 – Williams 23, Wong 18, Miller 16, Poole 13, Martinez 11, Lacastesantos 6, Gayosa 4, De Leon 2, Escosio 2, Casajeros 2, Alattica 2, Tuquib 2. 

Shawarma 80 – Matillano 17, Castro 16, Obuyes 13, Acibar 12, Akpuru 10, Ibanez 4, Guevara 3, Menguez 2, Alba 1, Gabawan 1, Camacho 1. 

Second game: Pilipinas Aguilas vs Statham Academy

Pilipinas Aguilas 90 – Arafat 19, Partosa 16, Capacio 16, Eze 12, Dela Cruz 12, Daez 7, Baliquig 6, Sumabat 2.

Statham Academy 88 – Statham 22, Etter 20, Divita 17, Chung 10, Guzman 9, Galuppo 6, Funchess 4. 

Third game: MisOr Mustangs vs PCU-D

MisOr 94 – Toba 28, Calilabaly 16, Doromal 16, Meca 9, Sombero 8, Lucero 7,  Acuna 4, Doroteo 3, Monteclaro 3. 

PCU 87 – Reves 17, Escultor 14, Dino 12, Morillo 6, Adas 6, Endrinal 6, Opone 6, Reyes 5, Brandares 4, Tita 4, Mesqueriola 3, Madrono 2, Escarda 2. 

Fourth game: CSB vs Corsa Tires

CSB 97 – Ancheta 21, Eusebio 15, Oli 12, Liwag 11, Ojoula 10, Ynot 10, Sanchez 5, Cometa 5, Lim 3, Ordonio 3, Caa’Ete 2.

Corsa 74 – Anderson 20, Gimpayan 14, Tan 9, Strait 9, Garcia 8, Magisa 4, Mendoza 3, Portales 2, Berjay 2, Umyanozi 2, Pagulayan 1.

STANDINGS: 

Group A

MisOr Mustangs 3-1

Statham Academy 2-1

Makati Circus 2-1

Pilipinas Aguilas 1-2

PCU 0-3

Group B

Benilde 3-0

Shawarma 2-2

Corsa Tires 1-2

Phuket 1-2

Dasmariñas 1-2