REY Suerte caught fire and delivered Che'Lu Bar and Grill a big 92-80 victory over Ironcon-UST on Monday in the 2019 PBA D-League at JCSGO Gym in Cubao.
The Cebuano swingman scattered 27 points, including the last eight in the Revellers' telling 19-0 tear that turned a tight 70-66 affair to a decisive 89-66 lead with 3:07 left to play.
Gab Dagangon made instant impact in his Che'Lu debut with 17 points and three rebounds, as Alfred Batino got 14 points and six rebounds.
"This is a must win," said coach Stevenson Tiu as the Revellers hiked their record to 4-3 in the Aspirants Group.
"Sabi ko sa players, if we lose today, parang scrimmage na lang yung last two games. If you still want to play in the playoffs, you have to play hard today."
Che'Lu caught Ironcon-UST off guard, grabbing an 18-point lead, 65-47, before the Growling Tigers made a huge 16-0 third quarter run that got them within two, 65-63.
But Batino and Suerte dashed those comeback bids, with the Revellers limiting the opposition to just three points in the first seven minutes of the payoff period to take home the huge win.
Sherwin Concepcion had 24 points, making 4 of 8 shots from the 3-point line, nad pulling down five rebounds, but that was not enough to keep UST from suffering its second defeat in three outings.
The Growling Tigers dropped to 5-2, missing a chance to clinch a playoff berth.
The scores:
Che’Lu Bar 92 - Suerte 27, Dagangon 17, Batino 14, Viernes 12, P. Manalang 7, Collado 5, Gabo 4, Taganas 2, Bautista 2, Siruma 2, Bringas 0, Dumapig 0.
Ironcon-UST 80 -- Concepcion 24, Chabi Yo 18, Abando 16, Nonoy 9, Paraiso 6, Ando 2, Lee 2, Huang 2, Pangilinan 1, Asuncion 0, Bataller 0, Yongco 0, Herrera 0, Marcos 0.
Quarterscores: 22-17; 44-39; 70-63; 92-80.
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