Jerie Pingoy scored a game-high 23 points and provided the finishing touches to lift Akari-Adamson University to an 89-79 victory over Batangas-Emilio Aguinaldo College on Thursday in the Philippine Basketball Association D-League Aspirants’ Cup at the Ynares Arena in Pasig City.
With their second victory in four days, the Falcons remain a solid contender for an outright semifinals berth in the 12-team, single-round elimination tournament.
Jerrick Ahanmisi tallied 16 points, Jerome Lastimosa had 11 and Papi Sarr chipped in 10 for Akari-Adamson University, which needed an 11-1 closing salvo to defuse the threat of the hard-fighting Generals and improved to 6-2 won-lost.
“That’s the advantage of Pingoy. He’s willing to take the big shots,” said Falcons Coach Franz Pumaren of the former University Athletic Association of the Philippines juniors Most Valuable Player, who went 6-of-9 from beyond the arc.