The Racal Tile Masters dominated in their PBA D-League Foundation Cup debut, sending AMA Online Education to the cellar with a 100-67 victory on Tuesday at the JCSGO Gym in Quezon City.
Dexter Maiquez topscored with 16 points for the Tile Masters, shooting 7-for-10 from the field and also grabbing nine rebounds. Raphael Banal and Jonathan Grey added 15 points and 13 points, respectively as Racal dealt AMA its second straight loss.
“Ang instruction ko sa players ko, esecially those who want to return to the PBA, kailangan talaga natin manalo para mapakita na you can come from a winning team,” Racal head coach Caloy Garcia said.
“Specifically, yung ball movement and not relying on talent alone. We did well today. Hopefully when we play Cafe France on Thursday, it will be the same intensity.”
Racal had 23 assists compared to only seven for AMA, and also shot better from the floor at 46 percent compared to only 32 percent for AMA. The Tile Masters also capitalized in transition, scoring 22 fastbreak points.
Grey scored nine of his 13 points in the first quarter, as Racal took a 23-17 lead, though AMA kept themselves within striking distance.
AMA was still within six, 33-27 halfway in the second quarter before Racal went on a 14-0 run. Racal closed closed the first half ahead by 19, 49-30, with Maiquez scoring nine of his 16 points in the second quarter alone.
The Tile Masters continued their dominance of AMA in the second half, stretching their lead to as much as 35 as the squad never looked back.
John Ragasa led AMA with 16 points, including 11 in the fourth period. Ryan Arambulo chipped in 14 points.
The Scores:
Racal (100) – Maiquez 16, Banal 15, Grey 13, Celiz 11, Paniamogan 9, Corpuz 7, Javier 6, Robles 5, Gabawan 4, Ortuoste 4, Ruaya 4, McCarthy 3, Terso 3, Lozada 0.
AMA (67) – Ragasa 16, Arambulo 14, Belleza 12, Publico 12, Asuncion 3, Magpantay 3, Calma 2, Macaranas 2, Montemayor Je. 2, Montemayor Jo. 1, Bragais 0, Carpio 0, Dizon 0, Jordan 0.
Quarterscores: 23-17, 49-30, 71-45, 100-67.
