Elite dim Gems, wrest 2nd spot

MANILA, Philippines - Blackwater Sports overcame a poor start with a big second half charge as the Elite turned back the Cebuana Lhuillier Gems, 87-80, to grab solo second in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup at The Arena in San Juan yesterday.

Allan Mangahas scored nine of his game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter as the Elite closed out the period with a 19-12 run to finish off the Gems and get back on the winning track after losing to the league-leading Fruitas Shakers (3-0) in double-overtime last Thursday.

Kevin Ferrer scored 16 points and Pari Llagas chipped in 12 markers for the Elite, who rallied from an 18-point deficit early in the second quarter. Blackwater outscored Cebuana, 49-35, in the second half to improve to 3-1.

Defending champion NLEX finally nailed its first win after back-to-back losses as it fashioned out a 90-54 romp over Hog’s Breath in the second game.

Garbo Lanete scattered 18 points while Jake Pascual had 13 markers and 12 rebounds as the Road Warriors wore down the Razorbacks with their up-tempo game and good ball movement. 

“I don’t know what’s wrong (with the team). We seem to always start poorly and would pick up our game when we are trailing behind. Hopefully, we could resolve the problem during the short break,” said Blackwater coach Leo Isaac.

“But it feels good to win again. I thought our reserves (James Mangahas, Paolo Pe and Bacon Austria) did a good job. They provided the energy and made some crucial stops,” he added.

Blackwater trailed by seven at the turn but outscored Cebuana, 24-16, in the pivotal third to grab a 62-61 lead heading to the fourth quarter.

A three-pointer by Paul Zamar tied the count at 68 with 6:22 left in the contest. But Justine Chua made a free throw and James Mangahas nailed a triple to put Blackwater ahead for good.

It was a tough loss for the Gems, who outscored the Elite, 32-17, in the first quarter and posted the game’s biggest lead at 35-17 on a jumper by JR Buensuceso to start the second quarter.

But they shot just 25 percent (8 of 31) and committed 12 of their 20 turnovers in the second half that led to their downfall.

Zamar finished with 19 points while James Martinez added 16 for Cebuana, which fell to 2-2 despite shooting 11 treys.