TAUTUAA IMPRESSIVE IN DEBUT AS CAGAYAN KEEPS SLATE CLEAN
Moala Tautuaa had a rousing debut for Cagayan Valley, but it was Abel Galliguez who stole the show for the Rising Suns as they nailed their fourth straight victory, an 89-84 double-overtime win over CafeFrance in the 2015 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup Thursday at the Ynares Sports Arena.
The Fil-Tongan big man had 26 points, seven rebounds, and three assists in his season debut, but the pint-sized Galliguez drained the big shots in the second overtime period, scoring 10 of his 12 points to lift the Rising Suns to the win.
“I got an opportunity to go out there in the second overtime and fortunately, I made some shots,” Galliguez said.
Randy Dilay was also big in the fourth and overtime periods for Cagayan, as he had 10 of his 13 markers, while Ali Austria had 11 points and seven rebounds.
Michael Mabulac also logged a double-double with his 10 markers and 12 rebounds.
The Rising Suns seemed to be well on their way to another victory after a trey from Dilay put Cagayan up, 67-61, with 50.5 seconds left to play im regulation. But Jonar Huertas and Rodrigue Ebondo sank three straight buckets to knot the score at 67 with 12.6 ticks left.
Eric Salamat tried to win the game for Cagayan, but both of his shots missed, and Maverick Ahanmisi’s Hail Mary went short as the buzzer sounded.
CafeFrance got the advantage in the first overtime, as Ebondo and Joseph Sedurifa shoved them up by four early.
With the Bakers leading 76-73 in the final 11.7 seconds, Austria drained a big three-pointer at the top of the arc with 0.3 left in the clock to once again tie the game at 76.
In the ensuing possession, Sedurifa lobbed the ball to Ebondo, but the alley-oop play did not materialize as the game went to another extra five minutes.
Cagayan had enough in the second OT, as it unleashed an 8-0 run capped off by a four-point play and a floater from Galliguez to erect an 84-76 advantage with 1:38 left.
“It’s fun that we’re undefeated,” added Galliguez. “We now have Mo (Tautuaa), our team is jelling, and we have two more games before the Christmas break, so I think this gives us more confidence. We want to go on that Christmas break at 6-0 so we can have at least have that chance for the top two seeds.”
For his part, Tautuaa said that he is still adjusting to the physicality of the D-League after his stint in the ABL, saying, “This is a lot more physical, but this is pretty fun.”
“I’m not used to getting pushed, but it’s something I have to adjust to. It’s not very alarming to me right now and my coaches are working with me on that,” he said,
Huertas led CafeFrance with his 19 points and seven rebounds, while Sedurifa had 15 markers to his name.
Ebondo wounded up with 13 points, 15 boards, and six dimes, while Ahanmisi also got 13 for the Bakers (3-1).
In the first game, Cebuana Lhuillier dealt Tanduay Light its third straight loss after a convincing 77-57 win.
The trio of Mar Villahermosa, Kevin Ferrer, and Allan Mangahas doomed the Rhum Masters as the three joined forces in the Gems’ breakaway in the second and third periods.
Villahermosa led the scoring with 14 points, eight coming in the third, while Ferrer ended up with 13 markers to his name.
Mangahas finished the job with nine of his 11 points in the second half, as Norbert Torres chipped in a near double-double with his 10 markers and nine boards.
Despite the win, Cebuana Lhuillier coach Boycie Zamar challenged his wards, with the memories of their meltdowns against Jumbo Plastic and Cagayan Valley still fresh on his mind.
“Itong mga players na ito, mga superstars sa team nila. Dapat nila ilagay ng mabuti yung pride nila, kung sa team ba o to themselves,” Zamar said. “Rinemind ko uli sila na hindi na ulit pwede mangyari yung ganun.”
In the third game, Jumbo Plastic nailed its third win in four outings as it scored an 81-65 victory over Wangs Basketball.
Denice Villamor had 17 points and seven rebounds for the Giants, while Maclean Sabellina had 12 of his 16 points in the third quarter breakaway.
“Walang mahinang team ngayon. Lahat gustong manalo kaya every game counts,” said Jumbo Plastic coach Stevenson Tiu. “Gusto nating pumasok sa top four, kaya dapat talunin yung mga sinasabi na mahihinang team.
Jumbo Plastic used a 30-point third quarter, ignited by a 14-2 surge to open the canto and post a 48-35 edge, which would soon balloon to 20, 62-42 before the end of the third.
But Wangs would trim the lead to just eight, 68-60 after back-to-back hits from Michael Juico midway in the fourth.
Unfortunately, Dexter Maiquez, Kris Rosales, and Sabellina teamed up for a 6-0 run to calm the tides and erect a 14-point lead, 74-60, and would keep the advantage until the end game.
Tiu was more concerned with the broken finger incurred by Sabellina in a rebound play just 5.1 seconds before the game ended.
“Sayang yung win, na-injure naman yung mga players. Baka negative na yun para sa next game,” he said, as the Giants are already missing a handful of stalwarts due to injuries.
Juico had 11 of his 17 points in the fourth period, while Rocky Acidre ended up with 13 for Wangs Basketball, which fell to 1-3. (RL)
The Scores:
First Game:
Cebuana Lhuillier 77 – Villahermosa 14, Ferrer 13, A. Mangahas 11, Torres 10, Enciso 7, Vosotros 7, Guinto 5, Lopez 4, J. Mangahas 3, Sarangay 2, Arellano 1, Canlas 0, Acibar 0.
Tanduay Light 57 – Sumang 11, Jumao-as 8, Ignacio 7, Ilagan 6, Escueta 5, Tagarda 5, Mandani 4, de Leon 4, Foronda 4, Banal 3, Santos 0, Belencion 0, Roño 0.
Quarters: 17-11, 38-23, 63-39, 77-57.
Second Game:
Cagayan Valley 89 – Tautuaa 26, Dilay 13, Galliguez 12, Austria 11, Mabulac 10, Salamat 5, Olayon 4, Celada 3, Tayongtong 3, Trollano 2, Capacio 0, Flores 0, Melano 0.
CafeFrance 84 – Huertas 19, Sedurifa 15, Ahanmisi 13, Ebondo 13, Abundo 7, Andrada 6, Cortez 4, Galanza 3, Jeruta 2, Batino 2, Habelito 0, De Leon 0, Noble 0.
Quarters: 13-18, 31-30, 47-43, 67-67, 76-76, 89-84.
Third Game:
Jumbo Plastic 81 – Villamor 17, Sabellina 16, Cruz 9, Maiquez 9, Javier 8, Rios 7, Rosales 6, Terso 6, Magat 2, Eguilos 1, King 0, Petilos 0.
Wangs Basketball 65 – Juico 17, Acidre 13, Acosta 11, Montuano 6, Mendoza 5, Rosopa 4, Pontejos 3, Miranda 3, Vijandre 2, Importante 1, Acuna 0, Montemayor 0, Arambulo 0, Lina 0.
Quarters: 12-11, 32-29, 62-44, 81-65.
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