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| PBA |
By Ivan Saldajeno
PASIG--As a saying goes, "All things must come to an end."
And that includes Flying V's unbeaten run in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup.
The Thunder suffered their first loss of the season-ending conference in the phase they would not want to have it, the second game of their semifinal series against the CEU Scorpions, bowing, 72-93, at the Ynares Sports Arena on Tuesday night.
CEU surprised Flying V with a strong start, opening a 31-14 lead at the end of the first quarter and extending it to 23, 58-35, at halftime.
The Thunder provided some scare at the start of the third frame when Gab Banal scored eight straight points and Jeron Teng, who injured his ankle late in the second quarter, showed no sign of pain by drilling in back-to-back baskets.
But the Scorpions weathered the said early storm and preserved the huge lead until the end.
Rod Ebondo came to within a basket from yet another 20-20 game, finishing with 18 points and 26 rebounds with three assists and two blocks for CEU, which sent its best-of-three affair with Flying V to a rubber match.
Patrick Aquino had a perfect game, going 7-of-7 from the field for his own 18 markers.
Teng finished with 13 points, three boards, and two dimes for Flying V before fouling out with 7:21 left.
Game 3 is scheduled on Thursday night at the said venue.
Box Scores:
CEU 93-Aquino 18, Ebondo 18, Uri 15, Casiño 13, Jeruta 10, Manlangit 8, Wamar 7, Cruz 4, Arim 0, Baconcon 0
Flying V 72-Teng 13, Banal 11, Dionisio 11, Salamat 11, Torres 10, Cañada 8, Paredes 4, Tampus 3, Thiele 1, Auustria 0, Koga 0
Quarterscores: 31-14, 58-35, 79-61, 93-72
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
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