MANILA, Philippines - Mark Cruz took over in the clutch, scoring four straight points, as Cagayan Valley held off Café France, 73-67, yesterday to move up to solo fourth in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup at the Ynares Arena in Pasig City.
Cruz’ heroics, including a pull-up jumper in the last 1:41, cut short the Bakers’ last-ditch rally as Mike Silungan buried a triple that put Café France within 67-68 with 1:59 remaining.
The diminutive Cruz, who finished with just six points, sealed the win with another basket that gave Cagayan Valley a five-point lead with 33 seconds remaining.
It was Cagayan Valley’s third straight win and sixth overall in nine games as the Rising Suns stayed on course for a top 3 or 4 finish and a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
In the other game, Big Chill kept its playoffs hopes alive as it defeated EA Regen, 77-73.
Mac Montilla scored 18 points, Terrence Romeo had 17 and Jeckster Apinan tallied 15 against his former team.
as the Superchargers finished with 6-5 record.
“Now we pray and wait,†said Big Chill coach Robert Sison. “We’re not praying for anybody to lose but we’re just hoping we’ll be given a chance to advance.â€
Raymun Almazan scored 18 points and Jimbo Aquino added 16 for Team Delta, who surged ahead at 61-59 in the last five minutes only to sputter in the stretch.
EA Regen tumbled to joint sixth with Boracay Rum at 5-4.
The Rising Suns dominated the game for three quarters with pressure defense, hustle and aggressiveness.
Joshua Webb exploded with a game-high 20 points, including 12 in the second quarter where the Rising Suns posted their biggest lead at 46-25.
Andrian Lao added 11 points for the Rising Suns, who scored 24 points in each of the first two quarters but were outscored, 25-36, in the second half.