MANILA, Philippines — A gritty Cebuana Lhuillier crew battled back from 10 points down in the final quarter to hack out a 67-60 victory over Big Chill and clinch the last semifinal berth in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup Tuesday at Meralco Gym.
Bam Gamalinda and Alvin Padilla starred in the big plays down the stretch, fueling the Gems’ furious 20-3 windup that got them out of a double-digit hole, 47-57, in the last eight minutes.
Gamalinda unloaded a game-high 21 points, including a clutch triple that pushed the Gems ahead, 62-60, aside from grabbing nine rebounds.
Padilla finished with 14 points for the Gems, who foiled the Superchargers’ bid to overcome their twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
“Gamalinda is the team’s leader, it’s good that he was able to step up in this game and the others were able to play well with his performance,” said coach Boycie Zamar.
The Gems, though, will need more than Gamalinda’s leadership when they face the unbeaten NLEX Road Warriors in the best-of-three semifinals starting Thursday.
Defending champion Blackwater Sports and Jumbo Plastic clash in the other Final Four encounter.
The Superchargers, who forged the winner-take-all with a 72-64 triumph last Thursday, looked poised to complete the series upset behind Mar Villahermosa and Rodney Brondial.
But after erecting a 10-point lead, 57-47, off an Adrian Celada triple, the Superchargers struggled on the floor and wound up shooting a pitiful 19 percent in the final quarter.
The Gems also managed to clamp down on the sweet-shooting Janus Lozada, who was held to five points after sizzling with 22 in the Superchargers’ last win.
“These players are not yet winners but they have proven themselves,” said Zamar. “The important thing is we survived today.” With a report from Vinz Luanne Lamorena, Contributor
The scores:
CEBUANA LHUILLIER 67—Gamalinda 21, Padilla 14, G. Banal 9, Arellano 8, Acibar 6, Ilad 5, Sarangay 2, Zamar 2, Leynes 0, Dilay 0, J. Banal 0, Mangahas 0.
BIG CHILL 60—Villahermosa 14, Brondial 12, Apinan 6, Celada 6, Lozada 5, Maiquez 4, Heruela 4, Santos 4, Canlas 3, Bonifacio 2, Miranda 0.
Quarters: 17-18, 33-39, 46-52, 67-60