Gems, Elite shoot for semis seats

MANILA, Philippines - Cebuana Lhuillier and Blackwater Sports take on separate rivals today, both shooting for victories and spots in the semifinal round of the PBA D-League Foundation Cup at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

The Gems and the Elite finished third and fourth in the elims to gain twice-to-beat edges against Café France and RnW Pacific Pipes, respectively.

Blackwater clashes with RnW at 2 p.m. while Cebuana Lhuillier faces Café France in the 4 p.m. main dish.

Defending champion NLEX and Big Chill took the two outright semis berths by finishing 1-2 with the Super Chargers nipping the Gems for No. 2 via the winner-over-the-other rule.

The Gems handily beat the Bakers, 84-72, in the elims but coach Beaujing Acot cautions his wards not to take their rivals lightly.

“It’s playoff time. So expect games to be a lot more physical. We’re used to it and we are used to training hard,” said Acot.

Blackwater also routed RnW, 88-67, in the elims but expects a tough challenge from the Steel Masters who have shown vast improvement in their past few games.