Make it another finals appearance for Boyet Fernandez
For the eighth time, coach Boyet Fernandez, the most-decorated head coach in PBA D-League history, returns to the finals after his Cignal-San Beda HD Hawkeyes blew out the Tanduay Rhum Masters in Game 3 of the 2017 PBA D-League Aspirants Cup semifinals, 88-65, Tuesday evening at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
Pamboy Raymundo, Cignal’s eldest statesman and Fernandez’ former player with NLEX, was the high point man for the game, scoring 17 markers while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out five assists. Leading MVP candidate Jason Perkins picked up a double-double as well with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
“It was a total team effort. Players believed in the system and they didn’t really want to lose the ball game,” Fernandez said.
Cignal fought back from a 26-16 deficit in the second quarter and strung a dominant 24-5 blast to end the second quarter to establish a 40-31 halftime lead, which even ballooned to 29, 83-54, courtesy of a pair of Andreas Cahilig freebies with 3:17 to play.
Javee Mocon led San Beda’s bench mob with 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field, 3-for-3 from the stripe. Byron Villarias added 10 markers on a 66 percent shooting clip.
As a team, Cignal-San Beda knocked down nine triples compared to just one (out of 18 attempts) for Tanduay. Moreover, the HD Hawkeyes showcased their depth, as the bench combined for 42 points.
Jerwin Gaco and Mark Cruz paced Tanduay, scoring 15 and 13 points respectively. However, the two shot a combined 11-for-29 from the field.
Cignal-San Beda will now face the Racal Tile Masters in the Finals. Game One of the best-of-three series begins on Thursday, March 30 at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
The Scores:
Cignal-San Beda (88) – Raymundo 17, Mocon 15, Perkins 12, Villarias 10, Bolick 8, Adamos 7, Potts 5, Bringas 4, Arong 3, Arboleda 3, Cahilig 2, Oftana 2, Batino 0, Tongco 0.
Tanduay (65) – Gaco 15, Cruz 13, Varilla 12, Eguilos 10, Palma 7, Sanga 6, Santos 2, Alvarez 0, Cenal 0, Quinto 0, Stevens 0.
Quarterscores: 11-18, 40-31, 68-44, 88-65.
