PBA-DL: Fruitas Shakes spoil Jumbo Plastic Linoleum Giants' league debut

"Welcome to the PBA D-League."

The Fruitas Shakers gave the Jumbo Plastic Linoleum Giants a rude welcome to the league, blowing them out 81-56, Tuesday, in the second game of a triple-header on the opening day of the 2013 Foundation Cup, at the FilOil Flying V Arena.

The Shakers outclassed their newcomer opponents on both ends of the floor, relying on crisp ball movement and ballhandler pressure to lead by as much as 27 points, in the third quarter.

Anjo Caram led all scorers with 18 points and four assists. Carlo Lastimosa added 16 points and five assists, while former NLEX Road Warrior Russel Escoto finished with 11 points and nine rebounds.

Assistant coach Eric Gonzales, who took the helm for head coach Nash Racela while the latter was away on an appointment today, said, "Sumunod lahat, nag-execute lang kami," said Gonzales. "Wala kaming ginawang special. I told them, we're built to last."

"We want to build something here. It's not about Fruitas or FEU [the collegiate affiliate of the squad], it's about the team," he added.

Gonzales also explained that FEU mainstay Terrence Romeo would be joining the team soon and is still recovering from his hand injury last conference. He said though that Romeo, who played for the Big Chill Superchargers in the last conference, has been allowed to participate in practices at FEU everyday.

In response to rumors that Romeo's UAAP backcourt mate RR Garcia would also join the squad, Gonzales said only upper management knew the details of that situation. Currently, the NLEX Road Warriors hold Garcia's rights.

The Shakers were playing unselfish basketball in the first quarter, neatly finding the open man against a flat-footed Jumbo Plastic squad. After a fast break bucket by Jan Colina, all Fruitas starters had chipped in for a 25-7 lead with under four minutes remaining.

The Giants broke into double-digit scoring on a drive by Macky Acosta with three minutes left, as the Fruitas reserves couldn't match the starters' intensity but they managed to trade baskets as the quarter closed, 27-12.

Fruitas made 12-of-22 field goals in the first quarter (54.5 percent), all of them scored off assists. In contrast, Jumbo Plastic made only 4-of-15 (26.5 percent) on three assists. Russel Escoto, Carlo Lastimosa already tallied seven points apiece, while Anjo Caram had six points and four assists.

In the second period, triples by Acosta and Marvin Hayes gave the Giants some momentum, while the Shakers struggled to score from the floor. UST standout Aljon Mariano converted one on the break, capping a 10-3 run for Jumbo Plastic, to make it 34-22.

However, the Giants' offense dissipated, as Fruitas ended the quarter on a 9-3 run. The Shakers went back to their strengths by forcing turnovers and scoring in transition. Ed Daquioag ended a five-minute dry spell for Jumbo Plastic with 19.4 seconds remaining, but his team trailed 43-25, going into the halftime break.

By halftime, the Shakers had a 16-1 advantage in points off turnovers. They also made 7-of-11 free throws (63.6 percent) in contrast to the Giants' 3-of-5 record at the line thus far (60 percent).

Mariano registered back-to-back hits at the onset of the third quarter, but the Giants missed easy shots on their next few possessions. The mistakes were costly, as Fruitas handed them eight unanswered points, 51-29, capped by a corner trey by Caram. The San Beda College Red Lions point guard added another bucket, and two more by Mike Tolomia gave Fruitas their biggest lead up to that point, 55-29, with under three minutes to play.

Kirk Del Rosario replied with an and-one on the break, and gave the Giants their first field goal in six minutes. It would be their last, however, as Nard Pinto knocked down a triple to help keep a 61-34 lead for Fruitas heading into the final period.

Hayes scored six of Jumbo Plastic's first twelve points of the fourth quarter, but Fruitas showed no signs of letting up and matched them nearly to the bucket, and maintained at least a 22-point margin until the final buzzer.

Fruitas capitalized on their 9-21 margin on turnovers to produce a 20-1 margin in turnover points.

Aljon Mariano led Jumbo Plastic with 15 points and nine rebounds. Marvin Hayes added 11 points and also had nine boards. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

FRUITAS 81: Caram 18, Lastimosa 16, Escoto 11, Tolomia 7, Mendoza 7, Pogoy 6, Pinto 5, Caperal 5, Colina 4, Cruz 4, Sentcheu 0, Banal 0, Antonio 0

JUMBO PLASTIC 56: Mariano 15, Hayes 11, Daquioag 9, Acosta 7, Del Rosario 5, Vidal 3, Ignacio 2, Gomez 2, Tan 2, Gil 0, Escueta 0, Foronda 0

Quarter scoring: 29-12, 43-25, 61-34, 81-56