CARL Bryan Cruz took matters into his own hands in the extra five minutes as Cafe France hammered out a 96-93 overtime win over Phoenix in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup at the Ynares Sports Arena on Thursday.
Cruz scored nine of his total output of 15 points in the extra period to lead the Bakers to their fourth straight win.
But it was Paul Zamar who sealed the thrilling victory in sinking a pair of freebies with 5.1 ticks to go.
Zamar and Rod Ebondo also had 15 points apiece for the Bakers, who fortified their hold on the top spot with a 7-1 win-loss record.
Phoenix, which played without Mac Belo, shared the second spot with Racal, sporting identical 7-2 cards.
"Mahirap manalo kahit wala si Belo sa kabila," said Cafe France coach Egay Macaraya.
Cruz dropped seven points that propelled a 9-2 rally to open the extra period, 88-81.
But the Accelerators refused to fold, with Tolomia banking a three-pointer that sliced the lead to just one, 94-93, with 8.5 left.
Zamar then sank a couple of shots from the foul line before Tolomia missed a potential game-tying triple at the buzzer.
Roger Pogoy paced the Accelerators with 26 points, while Ed Daquioag and Tolomia added 16 markers each.
The Scores:
CAFE FRANCE 96 - Cruz 15, Ebondo 15, Zamar 15, Abundo 13, Jeruta 12, Opiso 6, Parala 6, Custodio 5, Casino 4, Manlangit 3, Arim 2.
PHOENIX 93 - Pogoy 26, Daquioag 16, Tolomia 16, Escoto 11, Inigo 10, Jamito 6, Mendoza 5, Colina 2, Batino 1, Andrada 0, Tamsi 0.
Quarterscores: 19-21, 42-35, 59-57, 79-79, 96-93.
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