Capital1, SMART Sports claim PSA Cup wins

Photos by Kiev DC

The second matchday of the Philippine Sportswriters Association's PSA Cup took place on Tuesday night, with the Capital1 Solar Boys and the SMART Sports Scribes notching victories at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

The Solar Boys defeated Say Chiz Smileys, 67-58 in the first half of the doubleheader, with the duo of Aldo Aviñante and John Bryan Ulanday combining to score forty points in the victory.

Also chipping in for the squad backed by Vergel Meneses, Uratex and Rebel are Delfin Dioquino and Christian Jacinto, who contributed double-double numbers. The former had thirteen points and fifteen rebounds, while the latter got eleven points and 23 boards, as well as three blocks.

The Smileys managed to almost erase a thirteen-point first half deficit, whittling it down to just a one-possession game at 55-53, but the Solar Boys rode out the threat with timely points from Ulanday, Aviñante, and Dioquino to preserve the victory.

Jeric Lopez led the Smileys with 24 points and sixteen rebounds, with Cedelf Tupas netting seventeen markers and four boards. Jonas Terrado of the Philippine Daily Inquirer stuffed the stat sheets with fifteen points, seventeen rebounds, four assists, a couple of steals, and a couple of rejections.

The second half of the doubleheader saw the Scribes hold on to an 84-76 victory over the Strong Group Athletics Press Row Bros.

Julio Sampedro helped set the tone for the Danny Espiritu-backed selection by scoring sixteen of his 22 points in the first half. He also added eleven rebounds and six assists.

The Press Row Boys showed no quit, as they tried to erase a thirty-point deficit, outscoring the Scribes, 34-14 in the final quarter.

However, buckets from Reuben Terrado and AJ Bolando held ensure that the SMART-backed side secure their first win in the tournament.

Bolando also would finish with 22 points, while adding five rebounds and three steals.

Leading the way for the still-winless Press Row Bros is Eugine Flores with thirty points, six rebounds, and seven assists. Diego dela Paz netted a double-double with thirteen points and fifteen rebounds, while Paul Lintag tacked a near-double-double of his own with thirteen points and nine boards.

The PSA Cup is one of the projects of PSA president Nelson Beltran of The Philippine Star and is supported by the Philippine Sports Commission.