Surangel Stars showed composure and experience as they fought back from a 17 point deficit to beat the Ilocandia Bulls, 93-90 Sunday in the playoff round of the 2013 season of the Filipino Basketball League at the Palau National gym.

Trailing 72-59 going into the final canto, Surangel Stars managed to re-group themselves and wreck havoc as they anchored a 10-2 run to cut the lead at 80-78 with 4:14 left in the game. Stars’ main gunner Arnold Undecimo then took matters into his own hand as he scored on a pivotal floater to tie the game at 80-all with barely three minutes left in the game.

Then both teams squared on a shootout with the Bulls taking an 89-86 lead. Then Surangel Stars’ big man Joey Tabaquero scored on a three point shot to tie the game at 89-all. Bulls shooting guard Asiong Nuqui then split his free throws to give the Bulls a 90-89 breather with 30 seconds left in the game.

Then it was Rex De Asis, who gave the Stars the win, sank two free throws to give them the lead at 91-90. With 15 seconds left in the game, the Bulls wasted a golden opportunity to take the back the lead as they ran into a crucial turnover giving the Stars the last possession of the game. De Asis then placed the icing on the cake as he was fouled and sank again his free throws for the win.

De Asis finished the game with a humble 8 point performance backing up Arnold Undecimo’s 30 markers and Joey Tabaquero’s 20 while Nuqui topscored for the Bulls with 26 as Raul Osias had 22 on the losing end.

In other games, defending champion FR Spoilers dumped the Jaguars, 126-62; Western Union defeated PRA Choppers, 88-66; and RP Rangers bested Hanpa Cardinals, 91-76.

With the playoffs done, the tournament will now have the Final Four slated on July 28 with FR Spoilers taking on RP Rangers at 1 p.m. while Western Union will renew its rivalry against Surangel Stars in the main game at 2:30 p.m.

Games are supervised by the Palau Basketball Federation (PBF). This year’s FBL League is supported by ATT Bar and Restaurant, HE Automotive, Palasia Hotel, Palau Royal Resort, Surangel and Sons Company, FR Construction, Engrs. Jun dela Cruz, Bobby Pineda, and Benjamin Asuncion, Budget Mart II, Kabayan Restaurant and Aqua.  By Peter Erick L. Magbanua (Island Times News)