Erasers battle Bakers; Gems play Superchargers

MANILA, Philippines - Big Chill and Erase Xfoliant go all out to stretch their winning streak to three as they take on separate rivals today in the elimination round of the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

The Superchargers brace for a highly physical duel with the Cebuana Lhuillier Gems at 4 p.m. while the Erasers battle the Cafe France Bakers in the 2 p.m. opener that could go either way.

Big Chill kicked off its campaign with victories against Jose Rizal University and Blackwater Sports but coach Robert Sison remains wary of the Gems, who are aching to bounce back following their heart-breaking loss against newcomer Fruitas last week.

“We are expecting Cebuana to go all out since they are coming off a loss in their last game. We are also expecting Cebuana to give us different looks in their defense. But we’ll be ready for anything Cebuana would give us,” said Sison.

A third straight win for the Superchargers will pull them abreast with idle league-leader and defending champion NLEX Road Warriors.

But the Gems are out to stop the Superchargers, raring to atone for their sorry 90-91 setback to the Fruitas side after Rex Leynes missed two free throws in the dying seconds.

The Erasers, meanwhile, have bounced back from a 30-point blowout loss to the Road Warriors with a sweep of their next two games, putting them back on track.

The top two teams after the single round robin elims will advance outright to the semis. The next four placers move to the quarterfinals with the No. 3 and No. 4 ranked teams earning a twice-to-beat advantage.

The bottom four teams will be eliminated.