Moala Tautuaa had a huge debut but it was Cagayan Valley’s Fil-Am trio who delivered the key shots as the Rising Suns slipped past Cafe France in double overtime, 89-84, yesterday to grab a share of the lead in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup at Ynares Sports Arena.
The Filipino-Tongan Tautuaa, this year’s No. 1 rookie pick, finished with 26 points, seven rebounds and three assists to share the limelight with Abel Galliguez, Alexander Austria and Randy Dilay, who went on a scoring tear at crunchtime to power the Rising Suns to their fourth straight triumph.
“I like my team—they’re good players and they’re all strong,” said Tautuaa, who arrived last weekend. “It’s a team game, and they welcomed me to be a part of their team. I like it.”
Galliguez drilled 10 of his team’s 13 points in the second overtime, including a four-point play that gave the Rising Suns an 82-76 lead.
Austria also shone in the clutch by burying a triple with only three-tenths of a second left to force the second extra period, 76-76.
Cafe France, which absorbed its first loss, fell into a tie at 3-1 with Jumbo Plastic, which blasted Wangs, 81-65, behind Deniece Villamor (17 points) and Maclean Sabelina (16).
Cebuana Lhuillier also routed Tanduay Light, 77-57, with Mar Villahermosa (14 points) and Kevin Ferrer (13 points) starring early for a 2-2 record.