After scoring just 11 points in his team’s last outing, Jeron Teng came alive in the second half and pulled the Flying V Thunder to their sixth straight victory, taking down the Tanduay Rhum Masters, 104-89, Thursday evening at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
Having shot blanks last game against Racal, the former De La Salle University stud found his shooting form and dropped 11 of his 30 points in the third quarter, while also collecting nine rebounds and four assists, as the Thunder maintained their stronghold at the top spot at 6-0. This was his third 30-point game for the conference.
Teng’s hot shooting allowed Flying V to stage a game-tilting 19-4 run to swing a 61-60 advantage in the 4:05 mark of the third quarter to a decisive 80-64 lead, with the squad dropping 36 points in the frame.
“I didn’t really expect a lopsided game,” said coach Eric Altamirano. “We told the boys that this game may come down to the last minutes, that it’s going to be a dogfight, but I think we stepped up defensively and limited Lester Alvarez whom felt was the was the engine of their team.”
Thomas Torres added 18 markers, four assists, three boards, and three steals, while Eric Salamat chimed in 14 points on a 4-of-7 shooting from rainbow country.
Hans Thiele had a near double-double with his 14 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks for the Thunder.
Alvarez carried Tanduay with 23 points on a 4-of-10 clip from threes, to go with seven assists and three rebounds, while Jerwin Gaco got 15 markers, seven boards, and three assists.
The loss ended the Rhum Masters three-game winning run and dropped them to a 3-2 slate.
Flying V will stake their unbeaten slate against the CEU Scorpions on Tuesday, July 11, at 5:00pm. Tanduay, on the other hand, looks to bounce back against the Zark’s Jawbreakers on Monday, July 10, at 3:00pm.
The Scores:
Flying V (104) – Teng 30, Torres 18, Salamat 14, Thiele 14, Dionisio 9, Paredes 8, Banal 8, Webb 2, Cabahug 1, Cañada 0, Colina 0, Tampus 0, Austria 0.
Tanduay (89) – Alvarez 23, Gaco 15, Santos 10, Tambeling 10, Vigil 8, Palma 6, Varilla 6, Terso 3, Sollano 3, Taganas 3, Martinez 2, Eguilos 0, Sanga 0.
Quarterscores: 26-17, 44-45, 80-66, 104-89.
