PBA-DL: Ilad hits game-winner to lift Cebuana Lhuillier past Cafe France

Bryan Ilad hit a game-winning undergoal stab to lift the Cebuana Lhuillier Gems over the Café France Bakers, 77-76, on Monday at the JCSGO Gym, in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup.

Ilad only scored five points but his reverse lay-up with 1.6 seconds left on the clock was the biggest shot of the game, giving the Gems their fourth win in five outings.

The Gems took second spot over the idle Jumbo Plastic Linoleum Giants.

Cebuana Lhuillier used an 11-0 run capped by an Alvin Padilla three-point play at the 5:23 mark to turn a 61-53 deficit into a 64-61 lead.

Mon Abundo hit a short jumper with 24.9 seconds left to give Café France a 76-75 advantage. But the Gems were still able to recover from Marcy Arellano’s missed free throws with 9.6 seconds left in the game by grabbing the offensive rebound that led to Ilad’s game-winner.

It would have been a much more comfortable win for Cebuana Lhuillier, but the Gems missed 22 shots from the stripe, making just 18-of-40 attempts.

“A win is a win,” said Lhuillier assistant coach Bai Cristobal. “The whole story is we missed a lot of foul shots. We started very flat. But they really wanted to win.”

“Before the game, sinabi ko na remember all those small things. Nag-iistruggle kasi kami doon,” said Cristobal.

Bam Gamalinda top-scored for the Gems with 23 points, while Paul Zamar added 10 for the Gems.

The Bakers wasted a 41-31 advantage at halftime to drop to a 2-3 win-loss mark. - Reuben Terrado, SPIN


The scores:

Cebuana Lhuillier 77 – Gamalinda 23, Zamar 10, Padilla 8, Acibar 7, Arellano 6, Martinez 5, Ilad 5, Noble 4, Leynes 3, Banal 2, Sarangay 2, Paredes 1, Banal 1, Mangahas 0

Café France 76 – Ebondo 17, Abundo 15, Acidre 14, Cortes 9, Montilla 8, Batino 7, De Leon 3, Sedurifa 3, Jeruta 0, Gallardo 0, Mutombo 0

Quarter scoring: 11-18, 31-41, 52-58, 77-76