Behind clutch baskets from Philip Cezar and Abet Guidaben, Crispa finally ended its struggles against Toyota in the 1979 PBA second conference and win their first meeting in the two-round semifinals.
Crispa trips Toyota, 102-90; RTO wins
By Bert Eljera
Bulletin Today
Published Wednesday Oct. 17, 1979
Crispa found an unlikely hero in Irving Chatman last night and then banked on a pair of buzzer-beating shots in the homestretch to beat arch rival Toyota, 102-92, and bounce back into contention in the PBA second conference at the Araneta Coliseum.
Philip Cezar and Alberto Guidaben each scored on a jumpshot that beat the 25-second buzzer as the Redmanizers, after grabbing the lead, 92-90, played a masterful percentage game.
Cezar connected from 20 feet just as the 25-second buzzer sounded to give Crispa a 96-92 advantage and then Guidaben scored a similar shot from the opposite wing with a minute to go that wrapped up the game for the Redmanizers, 100-92.
“We were lucky,” said Crispa mentor Virgilio “Baby” Dalupan after the game. “Those lucky shots by Philip and Abet won for us.”
He added that their percentage game late in the fourth quarter worked very well.
Crispa’s victory left Royal Tru-Orange the only undefeated in the semis and the most likely squad to capture the first finals seat.
The Orangemen, inspired no end by Antonio Torrente’s torrid shooting, gunned down Great Taste, 114-107, for their second straight win.
Torrente pumped in 36 points in his worthiest performance in the series and sparked a 16-0 windup in the third quarter that fueled Royol’s winning drive.
Great Taste coach Alfonso “Boy” Marquez may have unwittingly helped the Orangemen when he pulled out Darry Smith in that crucial stretch, paving the way for the Orangemen’s scoring explosion.
It was the second straight loss for the Discoverers, who dropped a 135-125 decision to Toyota last Saturday.
The burden of tending the slots fell solely on the shoulders of Chatman after Cyrus Mann sprained his left ankle early in the third quarter.
Chatman held his own against Toyota imports Andrew Fields and Bruce “Sky” King. Although he finished with only six points, his 10 rebounds and six blocked shots most of them in the final quarter, greatly contributed to the Redmanizer cause.
Toyota missed the services of Ramon Fernandez in the entire fourth quarter as the 6’4’’ (1.93 m.) forward fell head first with six minutes to go in the third period.
According to Toyota coach Dante Silverion, Fernandez will be sent to the Makati Medical Center for observation. Fernandez had taken a bad spill off Crispa sentinel Virgilio de la Cruz while he was driving for the basket midway in the third quarter.
Silverio acknowledged that the buzzer-beating shots by Cezar and Guidaben were the biggest blows against them.
The Tams had led by as many as 16 points, 44-28, in the second quarter but the Redmanizers, behind the hot-shooting Fortunato Co, Jr., Cezar and Gregorio Dionisio, cut down Toyota’s lead to six points, 46-40, at halftime before catching up at 52-all early in the third quarter.
It was a see-saw battle from there with the score tied 10 tomes, the last at 99-all, before Cezar ignited a 6-3 blast with that buzzer-beating jumpshot, giving Crispa a 96-92 advantage.
After another jumper by Cezar, the Redmanizers, with Guidaben doing the honors this time, again beat the 25-second buzzer to seal the game for the All-Filipino champions, 100-92.
Co, who kept the Redmanizers in the game when the Tams threatened to break the game wide open, led all scorers with 35 points.
The victory — Crispa’s first over Toyota in the second conference — gave the Redmanizers a 40-34 overall advantage over the Tams in their continuing duel for PBA supremacy.
In the first game, Gilbey’s Gin clobbered Honda, 114-92, and moved within a game of clinching the first of two remaining berths in the third conference.
The scores:
Crispa — 102
Co 35
Cezar 19
Guidaben 12
Dionisio 11
Hubalde 10
Chatman 6
Espinosa 2
Mann 2
D.L. Cruz 2
Fabiosa 2
Varela 0
Adornado 0
Toyota — 92
Tuadles 18
Fields 16
Fernandez 14
Jaworski 13
A. King 10
Arnaiz 7
B. King 5
Salazar 3
Legaspi 2
Estrada 2
Sta. Maria 2
Quarterscores: 19-all, 40-46, 70-66, 102-92
Crispa 19 21 30 20 — 102
Toyota 19 27 20 26 — 92
Refs: E. Cruz, J. Obias, V. Marquez
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