D-League: Fruitas wards off Informatics, boosts playoff bid

Games on Thursday

(Arellano U Gym)

2 p.m.- Big Chill vs Cagayan

4 p.m.- Boracay Rum vs Erase Xfoliant

MANILA, Philippines – Fruitas drew a strong scoring effort from Carlo Lastimosa and a solid performance from Nigerian behemoth Olaide Adeogun on the other end as it turned back Informatics, 85-74, to enhance its playoff bid in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup at the JCSGO Gym in Quezon City today.

Lastimosa, a St. Benilde standout, showed why he's the league's leading scorer as he dropped 23 points on the Icons while the bull-strong Adeogun, a vital cog in San Beda's title romp in the last NCAA season, plucked a season high 21 rebounds to help seal the Shakers their third straight win and fourth overall against three losses.

Most importantly, Fruitas, which played for the first time since it turned back Big Chill, 86-81, last Dec. 11, jumped from the middle of the pack to a share of fourth spot with Cagayan Rising Suns and Cafe France at press time on 4-3 slates.

The month-long break showed up in the early goings of the game when the Shakers got off to a sluggish start and trailed the Icons, 16-20, at the end of the first quarter.

But it was all Fruitas needed to warm up as the prolific Lastimosa, nephew of former PBA star Jojo Lastimosa, started to wax hot, sparking a massive run that saw it transform a four-point deficit to a 40-35 advantage going into the break.

The Shakers and Icons then fought in a virtual dogfight in the third quarter but it was the former who managed to hang tough enough to gain a 63-60 cushion going into the final period.

It was easy sailing from there for Fruitas, which got support from former San Beda Lions Pong Escobal and Anjo Caram. Like Adeogun, Escobal and Caram, who won titles for San Beda in different NAA seasons, fired 11 points each.

"I guess the players really wanted this win because we haven't really practiced during the Holiday break," said Fruitas coach Nash Racela, a Talk N' Text assistant who will be coaching the Far Eastern U Tams in the UAAP this coming season.

The Icons fell to their eighth straight defeat.

The scores:

FRUITAS 85 – Lastimosa 23, Escobal 11, Adeogun 11, Caram 11, Dela Rosa 9, Colina 6, Mendoza 5, Terso 4, Koga 2, Belleza 2, Antonio 1.

INFORMATICS 74 – Benitez 19, Rogado 16, Bautista 11, Rublico 9, Hayes 6, Del Rosario 6, Melegrito 4, Ablaza 2, Cabonce 1, Sanghera 0, Cruz 0.

Quarterscores: 16-20, 40-35, 63-60, 85-74.