Nambatac saves MP Hotel with buzzer-beater Lhuillier whips K Mix, gains lead

Games Monday (JCSGO Gym)

11 a.m. – Tanduay Light vs AMA University

1 p.m. – Liver Marin-San Sebastian College vs Hapee

MANILA, Philippines - Fil-Tongan Mo Tautuaa imposed his will and powered Cebuana Lhuillier to a 95-88 romp over Kera Mix to gain the solo lead while Rey Nambatac hit a buzzer-beating triple to lift MP Hotel to a stunning 107-106 victory over Cagayan Valley in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup at the JCSGO Gym in Cubao yesterday.

The 6-foot-7 Tautuaa forced the issue underneath early and came away with 19 first-quarter points while altering several Kera Mix shots and denying the Mixers easy baskets. The Gems all but wrapped up their third straight win with a 55-25 bulge at the break.

Kera Mix, which put up a late charge, dropped to 2-1.

In contrast, the MP Hotel-Letran battled from 54-70 down in the third and pulled through in a scrambling finish to snap a two-game skid while dealing Cagayan its first loss in two games.

After Jayson Melano split his charities for a 106-104 Cagayan lead with 6.3 seconds, the Warriors quickly worked the ball downcourt with Rocky Acidre, swarmed by a bunch of defenders on top of the key, tossing the ball to Jan Colina, who spotted Nambatac wide open at the base. Nambatac took a couple of dribble before launching the shot from beyond the arc that went in as the buzzer sounded.

“They were a bit frustrated after losing our first two games by blowouts. Against Cagayan, they never gave up and showed a lot of character,” said MP Hotel coach Jose Luis Gonzales.

 It was a tough loss for the Rising Suns, who seemed headed for another win after storming to a 70-54 lead in the third quarter. But the Gems struggled with their perimeter shots and had a number of turnovers, enabling the Knights to strike back and close the gap at 80-82 at the end of the period.

Cagayan’s setback also left Cebuana as the only unbeaten squad in the young conference. 

Kera Mix failed to counter Tautuaa and Norberto Torres’ imposing inside game, enabling the Gems to lead from start to finish en route to victory.

Still, Cebuana coach Boyzie Zamar was far from being impressed. 

“The team still lacks consistency and character. We had a chance to win convincingly but the team showed a lot of inconsistencies in the second half,” said Zamar.

“We had a strong start. But we saw a lot of games here in the D-League where fortunes turn around in the fourth quarter. So it’s important for us to be consistent,” he added. 

Tautuaa, a US-born Fil-Tongan, finished with a game-high 24 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double. He also had five assists and one steal in 30 minutes on the floor.

The Gems also got solid contribution from Simon Enciso, who had 24 points, including 7-of-9 shooting from three-point range to share scoring honors. Paul Zamar scored 13 markers while Allan Mangahas chipped in 11 and six assists for the Gems.  

The Mixers had a 50-40 advantage on points in the paint and 22-10 edge on fastbreak points but most of them came in the second half when the Gems were already out of reach.

Keith Agovida came off the bench and scored 19 points as did Jiovanni Jalalon with 14 while Gil Marte and Jessie Saitanan added 10 markers apiece for the Mixers.