PBA-DL: Blackwater averts Cebuana Lhuillier rally try

(Updated 4:18pm) Blackwater Sports held off the Cebuana Lhuillier Gems late, resulting in an 87-80 victory in their PBA-DL Foundation Cup elimination round game, Tuesday, at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

"Ilang games na yan na pagka-start ng game, magulo kami at kulang kami sa energy. Parang kailangang lumaki muna yung lamang para magising yung mga players," said Blackwater Sports head coach Leo Isaac. "It's a good thing in the second half, our zone defense was working and we made some good offensive set-ps para makuha yung lamang at panalo."

However, Isaac emphasized that he was still searching for the best rotation to maximize his line-up. "Allan plays his game every time, pero yung ibang kasama niya sa starting line-up yung problema, " he said. "May darating na game na hindi kami makakabalik."

Isaac though was hopeful that he could use the Holy Week break to fine-tune his team.

Blackwater improved to 3-1 and moved up to solo second in the standings, while the Gems leveled off at 2-2, good for sixth place.

Allan Mangahas led all scorers with 21 points, four assists and three steals. Kevin Ferrer battled foul trouble en route to 16 markers, while Pari Llagas tallied 12 points. All three players hauled seven boards apiece.

For most of the first quarter, Blackwater picked off easy shots in transition to offset their lackluster halfcourt game. Cebuana Lhuillier, on the other hand, had no trouble playing either style and spread the ball well. Halfway through the quarter, Paul Zamar converted a four-point play, resulting in all Gems starters having pitched in for a 17-10 lead.

Kevin Ferrer kept Blackwater on the scoreboard, but the Gems' guards carved up the defense the rest of the way, as Zamar and James Martinez scored nine of their next 13 points. On the final possession, Alwyn Elinon drove baseline for a reverse lay-up, putting Cebuana Lhuillier ahead, 32-17.

Ferrer made 4-of-6 from the floor in the first period en route to nine points, but his team finished 8-of-19 in the first quarter (42.1 percent) In contrast, Cebuana Lhuillier made 14-of-19 from the floor in the first period (73.7 percent), led by June Dizon and Zamar combining to convert 6-of-9.

The tables turned in the second quarter as Blackwater played better defense and pushed the ball up-court. Allan Mangahas led the way with six points in a 16-8 run to make it a single-digit ballgame, 40-33.

The game became physical in the final three minutes however, as both teams were bothered by quick whistles and non-calls alike by the referees. Despite the distractions, Cebuana Lhuillier held a 45-38 lead at halftime.

The Gems made only three of 16 field goals in the second period, (18.8 percent) all of them coming from beyond the arc. Through the first half, Cebuana Lhuillier was 6-of-15 from beyond the arc (40 percent).


Pari Llagas stepped up in the third quarter and was active on both ends of the floor. The former University of the East slotman scored six points before a Justin Chua and-one in transition equalized the tally, 48-48, with six minutes remaining.

John Lopez and Bacon Austria exchanged fast break buckets, but Rex Leynes took a blow to the head before the action could escalate. He was helped off the court at the 4:37 mark and did not return to the Cebuana Lhullier bench. The Gems kept fighting and edged forward, 59-56, behind twin triples from Elinon and James Martinez.

But with just over a minute to play, the tide turned when Raymond Aguilar was called for an unsportsmanlike foul while defending a James Mangahas fast break. Mangahas got the bucket, and Paolo Pe split the technical free throws. Blackwater retained possession and James Mangahas drilled in a triple. The six-point swing in the span of 10 seconds assured Blackwater of a 62-61 lead heading into the final period.

Aggressive play by Blackwater allowed them to widen the gap, 72-68, on an and-one transition bucket by James Mangahas with under six minutes to play. The Gems were bothered by their opponents' tough interior defense, and held themselves to a 4-of-7 mark from the line, until a Lopez bucket that made it a four-point game. However, Allan Mangahas countered with an and-one, making it 81-74, with two minutes remaining.

Martinez and Zamar drilled two triples over Cebuana Lhuillier's next three possessions to dig into the lead, 83-80. With 37 seconds remaining, Blackwater ran out most of the clock until the Gems were forced to foul Allan Mangahas. The point guard missed the second free throw, but Llagas secured the offensive board. He also missed the second free throw, but the referees called a loose ball foul on the Gems' Gian Chiu while battling Ferrer for the loose ball. Ferrer split again, 86-80.

Cebuana Lhuillier then turned the ball over on the ensuing possession, forcing them to send Llagas to the line to stop the clock. He split, 87-80, with 6.1 seconds remaining, but the free throw was enough to seal the win for Blackwater.

The Gems were held to 25-of-66 shooting overall (37.9 percent), and shot only 8-of-31 in the second half (25.8 percent). On the other hand, Blackwater made 30-of-68 (44.1 percent) overall, and outscored Cebuana Lhuillier on the break, 25-12.

Paul Zamar led Cebuana Lhuillier with 19 points, while James Martinez had 16 points and four assists. The pair combined for 7-of-17 from beyond the arc, as their team made 11-of-31 three-pointers for the entire game (35.5 percent). - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

BLACKWATER 87: A Mangahas 21, Ferrer 16, Llagas 12, Chua 9, J Mangahas 8, Celiz 6, Austria 5, Ciriacruz 4, Pe 3, Vigil 2, Bagatsing 1, Singh 0, Lo 0

Cebuana Lhuillier 80: Zamar 19, Martinez 16, Dizon 9, Aguilar 8, Elinon 8, Banal 6, Lopez 6, Buensuceso 5, Custodio 3, Chiu 1, Bautista 0, Padilla 0, Bustos 0, Leynes 0

Quarter scoring: 17-32, 38-45, 62-61, 87-80