Aspac too strong for underdog Siliwangi

BANDUNG (JP): Jakarta-based Aspac proved too strong for the outmanned Siliwangi, cruising to a 78-38 victory in the fifth and final day of action in the 1999 A Mild Kobatama National Basketball League's fourth series on Friday.

In the second match, Indonesia Muda (IM) Texmaco beat another favorite for the final four, Mahaka Satria Muda (SM) with a narrow margin 51-50.

Aspac is now leading the western division with a clean sweep of four games in the series, while Siliwangi will likely face relegation.

Siliwangi still puts hope on winning the last game against IM on Saturday and wishes for the best result in the playoffs. The other match will be between Citra Satria Pelita and SM.

Aspac did not let up its pressure on Siliwangi, which was cheered on by 3,000 diehard supporters at Padjadjaran Basketball Stadium here.

Aspac's top playmaker, A.F. Rinaldo was able to break down Siliwangi's defense with the help of teammates Rommy Tanaka, Andi Poejakusuma and Suko Daryono.

Siliwangi managed to narrow the margin to 27-33 in the first half. But Aspac solidified its zone defense to increase its lead in the second half.

Andi led Aspac with 16 points and 6 rebounds during the game while Siliwangi's Harris scored 13 points and 9 rebounds. Harris' teammate Doni Tirta grabbed 10 rebounds while Aspac's Dhanny Harahap Handjoyo had 9.

IM gave up in the first half 23-28 but it tried to steal points in two minutes before the end of the second half when the score was 47-45 for SM. IM surpassed after a three-points throw by Patrick Gozal which made it led the games with 48-47 and scored another three points until the end of the game.

Siliwangi's coach Srigijanto acknowledged that his players' technical skills could not match Aspac's.

"That's our final result. We tried our best," he said after the match.

Srigijanto said, however, he was optimistic that his team could avoid relegation from the premier division. "Let's take a look at our last performance on Saturday. I'm optimistic that my players can overcome IM Texmaco," he said.

Aspac's coach Tjetjep Firmansyah gave a cool response over his team's success on Friday. He said he would remind his players not to be too satisfied with the victory.

"We will have to face another challenge in the sixth series, where we will challenge top teams from the eastern division. For me, today's result is not the end," he said.

Aspac has recorded 12 wins from the 18 games played in the four series. The western division will meet the eastern division in the sixth series, which is scheduled to be held in Jakarta next month. (43)