Crispa downed Toyota in their 1981 PBA Open Conference semifinal game which happened a day after the death of the latter’s former coach Fort Acuna.
Crispa routs Toyota
By Philip Evardone
Bulletin Today
Published Wednesday July 8, 1981
Crispa inflicted more sadness into the mourning Toyota Super Diesels last night with a crushing 133-118 win that sent the Redmanizers into a tie for the lead after the first phase of the PBA Open Conference semifinals at the Araneta Coliseum.
Aaron James sank an undergoal banked shot with two seconds remaining after nearly losing the ball on a spill to lift San Miguel Beer to a hairline 99-98 win over defending champion U-Tex in the other match.
Fortunato Co, Jr. pumped in a team-high 35 points while Bernard Fabiosa played his best game this season with 27 points as they delivered the killing blows for Crispa after Toyota had rallied to within eight points late in the third quarter.
Crispa’s victory which came a day after the death of former Toyota coach and player Fortunato Acuna, was the third in a row over the Super Diesels this season and its 10th in 11 matches since the All-Filipino Conference last year.
The win — fashioned before a banner crowd at the Big Dome — also hiked the Redmanizers’ overall edge over their arch rivals to 53-44.
Playing with black ribbons pinned on their uniforms, the Super Diesels fell behind in the second quarter where the Redmanizers routed them, 30-16, to take a commanding 61-45 halftime lead.
“My first stringers played badly,” said Toyota mentor Ed Ocampo. He declined, however, to give any comment whether or not his team was affected by Acuna’s death.
The game was close only in the first quarter as the two arch rivals battled to five ties But after Victor King drove in to tie the count at 31-all opening the third quarter, the Redmanizers, behind Bernardo Carpio , Philip Cezar and Co, went into a scoring rampage while handcuffing Toyota to six points that started the rout, 57-37.
Two quick stabs by Alfredo Hubalde and Alberto Guidaben early in the third period sent the Redmanizers on top by 20 again before increasing their lead to 22, 79-57.
The Super Diesels managed to narrow the margin to eight points, 75-83, with 1:04 left in the third period.
Two National Basketball Association referees — Jim Capers and Lee Jones — officiated the game and everybody said they did a good job.
James, with five personal fouls against him, picked himself up after that fall and scored the winning shot off Darrel Allums which erased a 98-97 U-Tex lead.
“We pressed their ball carriers all the way and that was enough to destroy their game,” said SMB Coach Tommy Manotoc, who had earlier called a timeout after the Wranglers had taken that one-point lead, eight seconds to go.
The win enabled the Brewers to dribble back into contention with a 1-2 slate in a tie with the Wranglers.
The individual scores:
Crispa — 133
Co 35
Fabiosa 27
Carpio 18
Cezar 12
Guidaben 12
Hardy 10
Jones 8
Hubalde 4
Dionisio 4
Dionisio 4
Varela 3
Toyota — 118
Tuadles 22
Jaworski 18
Florencio 12
Fields 11
Arnaiz 10
Fernandez 10
Bulaong 9
Herrera 8
V. King 8
A. King 0
Mercer 0
Quarterscores: 31-29, 61-45, 89-77, 133-118
Crispa 31 30 28 44 — 133
Toyota 29 16 32 41 — 118
Refs: J. Capers and L. Jones
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