JERICHO Cruz had a game-high 24 points, and Blackwater Sports advanced to the semifinals with an 89-69 victory over Café France on Thursday in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup at the Meralco Gym.
Gilbert Bulawan added 17 points, while Reil Cervantes had 14 as the defending champion Elite set up a showdown with second seed Jumbo Plastic Linoleum in the best-of-three semifinals.
Blackwater pulled away for good after a 12-2 run in the second quarter, grabbing a 35-22 lead and never looking back as Café France couldn’t respond to the Elite’s onslaught on both ends.
The Elite also limited Café France’s Rod Ebondo to three points and held Bakers top point guard Mon Abundo scoreless.
“I thought we played disciplined basketball on defense and very potent on offense,” said Blackwater coach Leo Isaac.
Alfred Batino and Ryan Gallardo each had 17 points for the Bakers, who ended up in the quarterfinals after Derulo Accelero defeated Boracay Rum on the final day of the eliminations on Tuesday.
The scores:
Blackwater Sports (89) – J. Cruz 24, Bulawan 17, Cervantes 14, Mangahas 11, Ciriacruz 5, Pinto 5, Llagas 4, Trollano 4, Ferrer 3, Soyud 2, Austria 0, Manguera 0.
Café France (69) – Batino 17, Gallardo 17, Cortes 13, Acidre 6, Montilla 5, Jeruta 5, Ebondo 3, Opiso 3, Abundo 0, De Leon 0, Banua 0, Mutombo 0.
Quarterscores: 19-16; 45-31; 66-54; 89-69.
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