Chargers waver but dim Suns; Gems up

Games today (Blue Eagle gym)

2 p.m. – Blackwater Sports vs Jumbo Plastic

4 p.m. – NLEX vs Café France

MANILA, Philippines - Mar Villahermosa came off the bench to fire 21 points and Big Chill held off a strong charge by Cagayan Valley down the stretch to hack out a 93-92 victory in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup at The Arena in San Juan yesterday.

The Superchargers blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter but hung tough with their pressure defense to foil the rallying Rising Suns and tie their victim at fifth with 3-2 marks.

Cagayan pulled within 90-91 on a three-point play by Joshua Webb with 78 seconds remaining but blew a potential game-winner as Ping Eximiniano missed on an easy lay-up in the closing seconds.  

Terrence Romeo scored on a transition lay-up with 7.7 seconds remaining to seal the victory for Big Chill, which bounced back from a 75-80 loss to Café France last week.

In the second game, Cebuana Lhuillier blasted winless Informatics, 101-76, to move up to solo fourth at 4-2.

“The players are improving every game. I thought they’ve learned a lot from our previous defeats. We didn’t look at Informatics as a last-placed team. We played them like we were both contending for playoff spots,” said Cebuana coach Beaujing Acot, whose wards took a 29-8 lead in the first quarter and never looked back.

June Dizon scored 14 points to lead six other Gems in double figures. 

“This is a big win especially against a team like Cagayan. I’m happy we got this game. We really needed this win and I’m glad the players responded to the call of the coaching staff and management,” said Big Chill coach Robert Sison. 

Mac Montilla scored 18 points, Romeo and Janus Lozada had 14 apiece and Mark Canlas added 13 for Big Chill, which hopes to sustain the momentum when then face Fruitas (3-1) and Blackwater Sports (4-1) on Thursday and next Tuesday, respectively.  

Montilla’s triple at the end of the first quarter gave the Superchargers an 18-15 lead. They held on to it throughout the second quarter as Big Chill outscored Cagayan, 26-18.

But the Rising Suns turned to Webb, Eliud Poligrates and Eximiniano in the third and took a 60-55 lead on Webb’s basket late in the period. 

But Montilla and Villahermosa countered with back-to-back triples that anchored a decisive 16-2 run for Big Chill, which sat on a 75-62 cushion entering the fourth.

Mark Bringas scored 26 points for Cagayan Valley while Webb tallied 19 and Poligrates turned in 14 points.