CEBU, Philippines — Had it been a boxing match, it would have been declared a no contest.
In a day on infamy for Cebu basketball, the Cebu City Sharks went scoreless in the first quarter in their embarrassing 76-107 defeat to the Manila Stars in the 2018 Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) Datu Cup on Tuesday night at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.
The devastating setback prolonged the agony of the Casino Ethyl Alcohol-backed Sharks, who further langished at the cellar without a win in four starts.
The Sharks misfired all their 15 shots in a horrendous first-quarter show.
They went on to set a record in ignominy as the first team in the annals of Philippine basketball to be held scoreless in the entire first period.
On the other hand, the Stars registered longest scoring run in MPBL history at 29-0 after drowning the Sharks in the first 10 minutes of play, 27-0.
Cebu finally hit the scoring chart on a pair of free throws by Patrick Cabahug at the 9:05 mark of the second period, but it was not enough to provide spark to the ice-cold performance of the Sharks on all facets of the game.
Cabahug finished with 28 points, but missed his first four attempts including three from beyond the arc.
Aside from making only five out of nine shot from the stripe, the Sharks passed out a measly nine assists against the league-best 37 assists by the Stars.
The Sharks were simply caught at their worst when the Stars were at their best.
It is still a long season though, and the Sharks will continue to chase after that elusive victory when they take on the Batangas City Athletics on August 2 at the Batangas City Coliseum.