MANILA, Philippines—Big Chill fended off a furious fightback by Fruitas, 77-72, to forge a do-or-die game for the last semifinals slot in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup at the Blue Eagle Gym inside the Ateneo de Manila University campus.
Terrence Romeo shone with 29 points five rebounds, five assists and three steals for the Superchargers, who blew a 12-point lead with only 2:34 left.
“It was a total team effort and but I got to give credit to Fruitas ang hirap nila talunin (they’re hard to beat),” said Big Chill head coach Robert Sison. “It just goes to show we have the character and poise.”
“Terrence played big he took over when our plays broke down but I have to give credit to all the players for responding to my call. This is how Big Chill plays when our backs are against the wall.”
Game 3 is on Thursday at 3pm here with the winner playing defending champion NLEX in the semis.
The Shakers, who missed the services of their starting center Russel Escoto in the second half due to a sprained MCL he suffered late in the second quarter, rallied behind Mike Tolomia and would come as close to three points, 71-74, on two free throws by Roger Pogoy with 30.8 seconds left.
Sison spoke about his team’s poise but Big Chill was visibly rattled when Fruitas started knocking down its shots. Several hurried possessions by the Superchargers allowed the Shakers to come back.
Big Chill failed to make good use of the clock down the stretch but was solid in the defensive end in the waning seconds as it pulled the necessary stops to hold on.
Sison also commended the efforts of Mac Montilla and Jeckster Apinan. Montilla scored 22 points while Apinan added 12 points and 13 renounds.
“Every time Romeo’s plays breaks down, sinasalo lagi ni Montilla. We have to give our all on Thursday. We just have to play our game.”
Pong Escobal paced Fruitas woth 14 points as Carlo Lastimosa struggled with just 12 points on 13 shots.