PASIG—Mark Cruz showed the way for Tanduay, inching closer to the last twice-to-beat incentive in the quarterfinals with a 78-60 rout of Blu Detergent Thursday in 2017 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup at Ynares Sports Arena.
The former Letran guard immediately made impact, firing 11 of his 17 points to trigger the Rhum Masters’ breakaway, where it led by as much as 31, 59-28, midway in the third quarter.
Cruz shot 6-of-9 from the field while also collecting five rebounds and three assists in the victory.
Jerwin Gaco added 10 markers and five boards off the bench in the easy win.
Tanduay rose to fourth place with its 5-3 card and can secure the seat, which comes twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals, with a win against Jose Rizal University (4-4) next Tuesday.
“Alam namin yung scenario. How we’re going to perform or show up is another story,” said coach Lawrence Chongson, who remains dissatisfied with the effort his team has been showing through the course of the conference. “I still don’t see the consistency. I’m not looking beyond JRU, but the way we’re performing is still a concern for me. Hopefully, we jell on time for the playoffs.”
Tristan Perez carried Blustar (0-8) with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Vincent Choong had 15 markers.
Box Scores:
Tanduay 78-Cruz 17, Gaco 10, Sanga 10, Santos 8, Varilla 7, Eguilos 6, Vigil 6, Stevens 3, Villamor 3, Asuncion 2, Cenal 2, Palma 2, Quinto 2, Sollano 0
Blu 60-Perez 20, Choong 15, Melano 10, Mak 6, Liaw 5, Ong 4, Heng 0, Ang 0, Kwaan 0, Chin 0