Rising Suns too hot for Elite

By: Mark Giongco - 10 years ago

MANILA, Philippines — Cagayan Valley edged defending champion Blackwater, 93-91, to remain in the hunt for a quarterfinals slot in the 2014 PBA D-League Foundation Cup Monday at the JCSGO Gym in Cubao.

Diminutive guard Abel Galliquez made the big shots – nailing a pair of 3-pointers – during a pivotal 13-3 run by Cagayan in the fourth quarter that turned precarious two-point cushion to an 87-75 advantage with 3:25 remaining in the game.

“We still have hope. We just can’t be too confident in our last two games and we’ll have a great chance of making the playoffs,” said Cagayan Valley assistant coach Raymund Valenzona.

The Rising Suns wound up their elimination round campaign against Hog’s Breath and Cafe France, a team also fighting for a spot in the playoffs.

Lord Casajeros scored 23 points and had 10 rebounds. Kenneth Ighalo also had a double-double in points and rebounds with 21 and 10 for the Suns, who shot 51 percent from the field while also holding down the usually high-potent Elite offense to just 39 percent shooting.