Seaoil-FEU got its act together in the second half to hack out a 99-82 win over Family Mart-Enderun, Thursday in the 2020 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
L-Jay Gonzales powered the Extreme Racers with a near-triple-double showing of 12 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists for their first win of the conference.
It was Gonzales steering the ship in Seaoil-FEU’s 11-0 charge. He helped the game from a 63-all deadlock to a 74-63 edge with 2:06 left in the third quarter.
Emman Ojuola put on the finishing touches in the victory, pouring seven of his 14 points in the fourth period, to complement his six rebounds.
It was a tale of two halves for the Extreme Racers, though. After allowing the Titans to shoot 17-of-35 in the first half, they limited their foes to a 9-of-30 clip to wrest control of the game.
“Nagtaas na ako ng boses sa kanila,” said coach Olsen Racela. “I was frustrated kasi ‘di namin ginawa ‘yung ginagawa namin in practice. We talked about being fundamentally sound on defense, pero ‘di namin ginawa yun. We gave up 54 points in the first half. We need to improve on a lot of things especially defensively.”
RJ Abarrientos had a rousing debut with his 14 points built on four triples, while collecting five assists and three rebounds. Ken Tuffin also added 14.
On the other hand, Family Mart-Enderun banked on Michael Dela Cruz, who tallied 14 points and four rebounds in the defeat.
Ivorian big man Pierre Kouakou, Joaquin Mariano, and Toci Tansingco all added 13 each for the Titans.
The Scores:
Seaoil-FEU 99 — Ojuola 14, Abarrientos 14, Tuffin 14, Gonzales 12, Torres 12, Bienes 11, Alforque 6, Celzo 6, Stockton 3, Coquia 3, Nunag 2, Dulatre 2, Flores 0.
FamilyMart-Enderun 82 — Dela Cruz 14, Kouakou 13, Mariano 13, Tansingco 13, Baclay 12, Nunez 5, Veloso 5, Abate 3, Sacundo 2, Marcelino 2, Tancioco 0.
Quarterscores: 19-25, 48-54, 78-73, 99-82.
