PBA-DL: Boracay Rum notch first win, Cebuana Lhuillier third-quarter scoring spree keys win

The Boracay Rum Waves finally broke into the win column with a 63-53 victory over Air21 JRU, while the Cebuana Lhuillier Gems out-classed Erase Xfoliant in the third quarter, en route to a 92-74 win, Thursday, in PBA Developmental League games at the Trinity of Asia Gym.

In the first game, Boracay Rum (1-6) got off to a hot start, holding Air21 JRU (1-4) to just nine points, 10 less than their own output. Their opponents came storming back in the third though, as Dexter Maiquez knotted things at 44-all with 4:46 remaining in the period. Ken Acibar countered with charities for the Waves, but Jeckster Apinan could have tied things again with his free throws, only to come up with just a split, 46-45.

Air21 JRU tasted the lead anew in the final period on an and-one play by Michael Mabulac, 51-50, but the Waves countered with a 6-0 run that put them up front, this time for good.

Adamson University sharpshooter Roider Cabrera led the way for the Waves with 16 points, 15 coming on three-pointers, along with eight rebounds, an assist and a block. Toto Bandaying and Jaymo Eguilos added 10 each, with Eguilos, the starting center, guarding the paint with five rejections.

Air21 JRU failed to get a single player in double figures, as John Villarias led them with nine points, on a 4-of-15 clip from the floor. Prince Caperal added eight points and four rebounds, while Kenneth Ighalo had seven points and five boards.

Both teams were miserable from the field, with the winning team making only 38.6 percent of their attempts. Air21 JRU was worse though, finishing with just a 27.3 percent clip.


The second match saw the Cebuana Lhuillier Gems (3-3) come to life in the second half versus Erase Xfoliant (2-4).

After tallying just 33 points total in the first half, to be down by 12 versus Erase at the break, the Gems equaled that output alone in the third, while holding their opponents to just seven points, to take a 66-52 lead heading into the final period. Clark Bautista and Jopher Custodio then connected from downtown to make it a 20-point buffer, 72-52, a little more than a minute gone by in the fourth, to quell any hopes of a late Erasers rally.

Jopher Custodio exploded for 25 points, making 7-of-15 triples, 9-of-17 overall from the field. June Dizon added 15 points and eight rebounds, while Paul Sanga chimed in more firepower, with 10 points, including three triples.

Erase was led by the 18 points of Jett Vidal, while Marlon Gomez and Nate Matute combined for 26 markers.

Rebounds proved to be key for the Gems, as they got a whopping 62-40 advantage on the glass, 22-12 on offensive caroms, which led to a 20-8 margin in second-chance points.  - AMD, GMA News