PBA-DL: NLEX one shy of elims sweep; Cafe France still in the hunt

Defending champion NLEX Road Warriors moved one win away from a historic sweep of the elimination round after defeating Blackwater Sports 60-45, in Monday’s PBA D-League Foundation Cup action at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig. The Road Warriors had a poor start but their 21-5 second quarter scoring took the fight out of the Elite. It was their eighth victory of the conference, leaving only the Boracay Rum Waves standing in the way of a spotless elimination round, a feat which has never happened in the history of the fledging league. Garvo Lanete had 14 points while Calvin Abueva, back from the line-up after missing three games due to his commitments with the NCAA's San Sebastian College-Recoletos Golden Stags, had 12 points off the bench. Meanwhile, the Café France Bakers defeated the Cagayan Rising Suns, 88-80, to improve their record to 3-4, in turn, keeping their hopes of a playoff berth alive. The Bakers rose to sixth place, rising above Boracay Rum and Erase Plantcenta, who are deadlocked at 2-4.   Those two teams will actually duke it out on Tuesday, also at the Ynares Sports Arena, to break the tie. “This victory is a morale booster. But our next game is crucial. It will determine whether will make it or not,” said Café France coach Egay Macaraya, whose team will also face Boracay Rum in their next outing. NLEX had a 4-of-13 shooting clip from the field in the first quarter but came back in a huge way in the second quarter, fueling the lopsided win. “We didn’t execute our offensive pattern the way we should. We’re lucky Blackwater had an off night. But we’ll take the win,” said NLEX coach Boyet Fernandez. Jeric Fortuna registered only nine points to lead the way for Blackwater, which fell to 4-3, good for fourth place in the standings. - AMD, GMA News   The scores: First game NLEX 60—Lanete 14, Abueva 12, Ellis 11, Arao 6, Long 5, Sanggalang 4, Hodge 4, Hermida 2, Marcelo 2, Suguitan 0, Belencion 0, Dehesa 0, Monfort 0, Co 0. Blackwater Sports 45—Fortuna 9, Ciriacruz 8, Zamar 7, Jeffries 7, Pascual 5, Mandani 5, Afuang 2, Celiz 2, Montemayor 0, Bautista 0, Ciriacruz I. 0, Camus 0. Quarters: 11-11; 32-16; 45-30; 60-45 Second Game Café France 88—Racal 19, Deutchman 13, Knuttel 10, Nimes 9, Mabayo 9, Magat 8, Semira 7, Parala 6, Garcia 5, Magbitang 2, Gallardo 0, Alquisalas 0. Cagayan Rising Suns 80—Custodio 32, Agas 17, Macuha 7, Lapuz 6, Bulangis 6, Melano 5, Arce 5, Eman 2, Gatchalian 0, Lascano 0, Dela Cruz 0, Agarao 0, Calabung 0. Quarters: 17-15; 45-31; 63-60; 88-80