Accelero ends winless run, edges Big Chill

MANILA, Philippines - Out of the playoff race, Derulo Accelero spoiled Big Chill’s bid as it held on down the stretch to hack out a tough 77-76 victory and end a long winless spell in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup at the JCSGO gym in Cubao, QC yesterday.

Raul Soyud scored 16 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as the Oilers, who nearly blew a 10-point lead in the last three minutes, fended off the Superchargers’ series of rallies to finally nail the elusive win after losing all their first six games.

“We know we’re out of it (playoff) but we’re still motivated to win our remaining games because we want to earn some respect. We believe we deserved to be in this league,” said Derulo Accelero coach Paolo Mendoza.

In the other game, Cagayan Valley foiled defending Blackwater Sports and eked out a 93-91 victory to stay in contention for a playoff berth.

Abel Galliguez hit two triples as the Rising Suns took a 87-75 lead with 3:25 remaining en route to their third win in seven games to join the Superchargers at sixth.

Jiovani Jalalon tallied 17 points and had seven assists while Michel Juico contributed 15 for the Oilers, who dominated majority of the way.

 â€œRight now the guys are really excited. They’ve long waited for this moment. I’m sure this win will boost their confidence,” said Mendoza.

Derulo Accelero led by as many as 12 points in the third quarter but had a tough time putting Big Chill away because “we don’t have the finishing kick,” according to Mendoza.

Trailing 76-77 with 25 seconds left, Big Chill had a chance to turn the game around but failed to get a clear shot as the Oilers clamped down on defense.