It was a dramatic finish for Pola Pilipinas, who were unbeaten through five games after not even winning a single game in the first leg in Guangdong.
Pola Pilipinas RPG recovered from a winless campaign in the opening leg of The Asian Tournament to rule the Passi edition after a 72-69 victory over Taiwan Mustangs last Monday.
With 47.5 seconds left to play, Jayvee Dela Cruz scored a clutch triple from a nice kick out pass courtesy of Jose Nouchanthavong. This give the Philippine representatives a 70-66 lead, as the jam-packed crowd roared inside the City of Passi Arena.
Nouchanthavong led the way for the Pola Pilipinas with 18 points, including the two pressure-packed free throws that kept the pesky Taiwan Mustangs at bay in the waning seconds.
Xavier Alexander had a double-double performance of 13 points and 11 rebounds while Henry Iloka and Joseph Obasa added 12 apiece for the JR Cawaling-mentored squad.
It was a dramatic finish for Pola Pilipinas, who were unbeaten through five games after not even winning a single game in the first leg in Guangdong.
With the spotless run in the second leg, Pola Pilipinas moved up to the middle pack of the overall standings with an even 5-5 record.
Leg 1 winner Macau Black Bears still hold the top spot with a 7-3 slate while Vanta Black Dragons and Taiwan Mustangs sit at the second spot and the third spots with 6-4 and 6-3 records, respectively.