Marvin Hayes made an instant impact in his return to Jumbo Plastic Linoleum, lifting the Giants to a narrow 79-78 triumph over the AMA University Titans Thursday in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
Coming back to the team he played for a couple of years ago, the former Jose Rizal U standout delivered a performance to remember, finishing with 22 points including the go-ahead foul shot that broke a 78-all tie with 53 seconds remaining.
The win snapped a two-game slide for the Giants and also put coach Stevenson Tiu’s charges back in contention for a playoff spot as they tied the idle Hapee Fresh Fighters with a 3-3 record.
Dexter Maiquez sustained his strong play with 25 points in a loss that could prove costly for the Titans who dropped to eighth spot with a 3-5 record.
Tanduay Light climbed to seventh spot after dumping MP Hotel, 78-57, for its second straight victory.
The Rhum Masters improved to 3-4 but they still need to sweep their two remaining games to remain in contention for a quarterfinal spot. The third to sixth placers advance to the quarterfinals while the Top 2 teams earn automatic semifinal berths.
With the loss, the Warriors all but kissed their playoff hopes goodbye after dropping to 1-5.
Jaypee Belencion delivered the telling blows for the Rhum Masters with 16 points.
Aljon Mariano also came up huge with 15 points and 10 rebounds for Tanduay.