Francis Arnaiz scored the winning basket to complete Toyota’s comeback over Crispa in the semifinal round of the 1976 PBA All-Filipino Conference. The victory gave the Comets the solo lead in the four-team, round-robin phase.
Toyota five nips Crispa, 104-102
By Norberto Eljera
Bulletin Today
Published Friday June 25, 1976
Toyota, given up for lost in the final 75 seconds, capped a searing comeback last night with a lightning-quick 6-0 blast to turn back Crispa-Floro, 104-102, in a pulse-pounding match before some 25,000 fans at the Araneta Coliseum.
The victory - Toyota’s first over Crispa in the All-Filipino conference of the Philippine Basketball Association - gave the Comets the undisputed lead in the semifinal round with three straight victories.
Crispa took advantage of the absence of several key players of Toyota to win their second meeting in Cebu City. The victory was also the second straight for the Redmanizers against the Comets in the 1976 PBA First Conference.
Crispa routs Toyota, 121-97
By Al Mendoza
Bulletin Today
Published Monday June 7, 1976
CEBU CITY, June 6, - Crispa-Floro bucked a jittery start tonight and went on to rout an undermanned Toyota team, 121-97, and take the undisputed lead in the All-Filipino conference of the Philippine Basketball Association at the Aznar Coliseum here.
The Redmanizers trailed the Comets four times in the first quarter, the last at 29-31, as the seven Comets unleashed a gallant stand to the delight of some 5,000 spectators.
Crispa took the first quarter by only one point, 33-32, then settled down to business, dropping to a 10-2 bomb to pocket the second quarter by 10, 61-51. William Adornado fired six of his game-high 29 points in this flurry.
Crispa was never threatened after that as Baby Dalupan’s boys breezed to their 12th win against only one loss. The defeat was only the second for Toyota against 11 wins.
