ALAS PILIPINAS POSTS 1ST VICTORY

Alas Pilipinas notched its first win after taking down Uzbekistan, 25-19, 25-15, 23-25, 25-17, in the classification round of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games men’s volleyball competition on Friday at the Park Arena Komaki.

Bryan Bagunas was on fire, dumping 26 points as the Philippines ended a four-game losing skid in its second straight Asiad appearance.

Alas’ much-awaited victory earned the squad a meeting with Kyrgyzstan in the battle for 13th place Saturday at 12 p.m. (Manila time).

Bagunas smashed 25 of his points on attacks and was active on floor defense with eight digs and three excellent receptions for Alas, which cut down its errors to just 19 after averaging 26 miscues per match in its first four outings.

Joshua Magalaman added 13 points, including six of Alas’ 10 kill blocks, while Peng Taguibolos and Lirick Mendoza chipped in 11 and eight points, respectively.

Kyrgyzstan defeated Hong Kong, 13-25, 26-24, 27-25, 25-23.

Alas had a chance to mount a comeback and complete a sweep in the third set after saving three match points to breathe down the Uzbeks’ necks, 23-24.

Buds Buddin, however, sent his attack out, extending the match.

Alas broke free from a slim 13-12 advantage with a 6-0 blitz. The Philippines kept its distance the rest of the way to prevail in the one-hour, 51-minute match.

Saidjamol Murobidinov and Ogabek Haydarov scored 14 each while Islomjon Sobirov got 12 for Uzbekistan, which will face Hong Kong in the battle for 15th place.