PBA-DL: Cagayan Valley Rising Suns eclipse Cebuana Lhuillier Gems

The Cagayan Valley Rising Suns scorched the Cebuana Lhuillier Gems, 88-73, to overcome a twice-to-beat disadvantage and advance to the semifinals of the PBA-DL Aspirants Cup, Thursday, at the Ynares Sports Center. Cagayan Valley used a 31-19 second quarter to gain separation from the Gems, who pulled off an 84-83 upset on Tuesday to force today's do-or-die match. Cebuana Lhuillier tried to rally back several times in this game but couldn't get the lead below 11 points. Eliud Poligrates led all scorers with 16 points, eight assists and a 3-of-6 mark from long range. James Forrester and Mark Bringas added 15 points each and combined for 15 boards, while Adrian Celada tallied 10 points and five rebounds. Adrian Celada buried a trey en route to scoring seven early points for the Rising Suns in the first quarter. Save for a breakaway dunk by June Dizon, Cebuana Lhuillier struggled to score and trailed, 11-2, midway through the period. The Gems got their second field goal of the game on a long two by Raymond Aguilar, 13-6, with under four minutes remaining. However they couldn't find any real traction to break into double-digit scoring. Meanwhile, Jason Melano beat the quarter buzzer with a lay-up to give Cagayan Valley a 18-9 lead after one. In the second quarter, the Gems stepped up their ball pressure and used it to build a 7-3 run, backed by four from Gab Banal. But the Rising Suns countered with an 8-2 volley, bracketed by downtown makes from Eliud Poligrates, to widen their lead, 29-18. The Gems called a timeout with five minutes to play. That led to a triple by James Martinez followed by a Jesse Bustos lay-up, but their defensive presence couldn't contain the Rising Suns offense. Seven different Cagayan Valley players chipped in for a 14-2 run, 45-25. With 20 seconds to play, Dizon and Rex Leynes snuck in a couple of lay-ups, ending a four-minute drought from the field. However, Poligrates had the final say as he knocked down a trey before the halftime buzzer, giving Cagayan Valley a 48-29 advantage at halftime. After the break, Rex Leynes slashed to the hoop on every trip down, willing his team forward with nine of their first 11 points. On the other end, James Forrester and Mark Bringas nailed a triple each and teamed up for six points. Forrester's 1-of-5 mark from the charity stripe helped the Gems inch closer, 54-40. However, the fouls piled up for Cebuana Lhuillier, and it was the Rising Suns' turn to take advantage of penetrating the lane. After a lay-up by Bringas, the Rising Suns scored six of their next eight from the line while the Gems' offense evaporated, 64-43. Cebuana Lhuillier showed signs of life in the last three minutes, eking out a 9-4 run with inside makes and a Jopher Custodio trey, to end the quarter trailing 68-52. In the final period, the Gems built off some of that momentum as Custodio drilled in another trey, and consecutive makes by Martinez allowed a brief 7-5 exchange. The Gems continued to play pressure defense on Cagayan Valley until the final buzzer, but frustrations set in and fouls were given. From the 7:12 mark onwards, the Rising Suns scored 13 of their last 14 points from the line on a 13-of-18 clip to come home with the victory. The Rising Suns made 32-of-49 attempts (65.9 percent) from the line throughout the entire game. Consequently, they attempted only 59 field goals, making 25 (42.4 percent). In contrast, the Gems posted an 18-of-26 mark (69.2 percent) but had a 26-of-82 clip from the field (31.7 percent). Cagayan Valley also led in fast break points, 22-10, but conceded to the Gems a 23-12 edge on the offensive glass, leading to a 16-2 margin in second chance points. Cebuana Lhuillier also had less turnovers, 22-18, leading to 23 turnover points against the Rising Suns' six. James Martinez top-scored for Cebuana Lhuillier with 13 points. Rex Leynes notched 11 markers, four assists and three steals. Raymond Aguilar tallied nine points, while Gab Banal and June Dizon had eight markers apiece and totaled 10 boards. - AMD, GMA News The scores Cagayan Valley 88: Poligrates 16, Forrester 15, Bringas 15, Celada 10, Melano 8, Almazan 8, Exciminiano 8, Pasculado 4, Webb 2, Lao 2, Cruz 0, Canta 0, Villanil 0, Montemayor 0 Cebuana Lhuillier 73: Martinez 13, Leynes 11, Aguilar 9, Banal 8, Dizon 8, Custodio 7, Zamar 6, Sarangay 5, Buensuceso 4, Bustos 2, Sanga 0, Rowe 0, Mangahas 0, Bautista 0 Quarter scores: 18-9, 49-28, 68-52, 88-73