MANILA—Flying V bucked a rare sluggish start and mauled AMA, 114-91, to clinch the first outright semifinal spot in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig on Monday night.
The Thunder found themselves down, 2-18, in the first quarter as the also-ran Titans look to finally end the Thunder's immaculate record.
Flying V slowly recovered and dropped 41 points on AMA in the third quarter to take the lead for good.
“We’re happy na kami ang unang nakapasok sa semis. In the first half, we were a bit shaky, we were so relaxed and were complacent, but the good thing is we got our game back in the third quarter,” Coach Eric Altamirano said after the game. His team scored 96 points in the final half-hour including 71 in the second half.
Eric Salamat dropped 7-of-11 from beyond the arc for 33 points with five steals for the Thunder, who moved up to 8-0. They shot 20 triples in total.
Jeron Teng added 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists, becoming only the fourth player to register a triple-double in the D-League even as Gab Banal had his own double-double of 14 markers and 12 boards.
Daniel Salonga scored 20 markers, while Andre Paras chipped in 14 points, 10 caroms, and four blocks for the Titans, who slipped to 1-7.
Box Scores:
Flying V 114-Salamat 33, Teng 21, Cañada 15, Banal 14, Torres 9, Thiele 7, Dionisio 6, Tampus 4, Austria 3, Colina 2, Gamboa 0, Mendoza 0, Paredes 0, Webb 0
AMA 91-Salonga 20, Bonleon 16, Paras 14, Calma 13, Celso 9, Flores 7, Jordan 4, Carpio 3, Macaranas 3, Tobias 2, Alas 0, Asuncion 0
Quarterscores: 18-27, 43-45, 84-65, 114-91
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
Eric Salamat dropped 7-of-11 from beyond the arc for 33 points with five steals for the Thunder, who moved up to 8-0. They shot 20 triples in total.
Jeron Teng added 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists, becoming only the fourth player to register a triple-double in the D-League even as Gab Banal had his own double-double of 14 markers and 12 boards.
Daniel Salonga scored 20 markers, while Andre Paras chipped in 14 points, 10 caroms, and four blocks for the Titans, who slipped to 1-7.
Box Scores:
Flying V 114-Salamat 33, Teng 21, Cañada 15, Banal 14, Torres 9, Thiele 7, Dionisio 6, Tampus 4, Austria 3, Colina 2, Gamboa 0, Mendoza 0, Paredes 0, Webb 0
AMA 91-Salonga 20, Bonleon 16, Paras 14, Calma 13, Celso 9, Flores 7, Jordan 4, Carpio 3, Macaranas 3, Tobias 2, Alas 0, Asuncion 0
Quarterscores: 18-27, 43-45, 84-65, 114-91
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno