Rising Suns trim Chiefs for 3rd win

Games tomorrow (San Juan Arena)

2 p.m. – Wangs Basketball vs Blackwater Sports

4 p.m. – Jumbo Plastic vs Big Chill

MANILA, Philippines - Cagayan Valley turned on the heat in the second half as it pulled away to defeat Arellano University, 92-75, and nail its third straight victory in the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup at the San Juan Arena yesterday.

The Rising Suns rode on a 16-7 run midway in the third capped by Nard Pinto’s triple, turning a shaky 58-53 lead into a huge 74-60 advantage. They then traded baskets with the Chiefs in the fourth to remain on top of the 14-team field with a 3-0 card.

Arellano dropped to 0-2.

In the other game, Ralph Olivares poured in 11 of his 13 points in the second quarter as Cebuana Lhuillier broke away from a tight game to post a runaway 88-60 rout over Derulo Accerelo.

The 6-2 Olivares hit three triples in the second quarter, keying a 19-7 roll that gave the Gems a 41-31 lead at the turn. They padded it to 62-44 in the next 10 minutes then coasted to victory in the fourth for a 1-1 card.

Derulo Accerelo, led by Raul Soyud’s 15 points and Jose Manuel’s 10 markers, took its third straight loss.

James Martinez finished with 15 points while Paul Zamar added 14 for the Gems, who bounced back from a 67-70 loss to Café France last Thursday. The two guards also combined for 12 of the team’s 18 assists.

“I thought we played well. Our defense clicked in the third quarter,” said Cagayan Valley assistant coach Toto Dojillo.

Pinto scattered a game-high 23 points on 8 of 12 shooting. He also had five assists, two steals and a block in 25 minutes of play while Don Trollano tallied 17, Andrian Celeda had 14 and Foronda added 12 for the Rising Suns.