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TANDUAY coach Lawrence Chongson got it right when he said blue-chip recruit Kevin Ferrer will provide the boost the Rhum Masters needed in the final stretch of the elimination round.
Finishing strong, Ferrer knocked in the game-winning triple as the Rhum Masters stunned league-leader Cafe France, 75-74, in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup Monday at Ynares Sports Arena.
“He kept us in there,” Chongson said of Ferrer, who struggled early in the game before hitting the game’s biggest shot.
Ferrer buried the clutch trey with 39.2 seconds left to push the Rhum Masters in front, right after the Bakers grabbed the lead 10 ticks earlier with a Jason Opiso jumper, 74-72.
Cafe France fell into a three-way on top with Phoenix and Racal at 7-2, while Tanduay inched closer to the top with a 7-3 record.
Reden Celda also played huge for the Rhum Masters with a team-high 17 points, including seven in an 11-0 burst that gave them a 72-60 buffer with three minutes left to play.
Ferrer, Rudy Lingganay and Mark Mendoza finished with nine points each to help the Rhum Masters complete a surprise elimination sweep of the Bakers.
Earlier, AMA Online Education dumped Malaysian-reinforced Blustar Detergent, 113-84.
“This is a record for us,” said AMA coach Mark Herrera. “Since we started, this is the first time we got back-to-back wins.”
Although the Titans must sweep their last four elimination assignments to have a shot at the fourth spot, Herrera finds hope in their franchise’s first consecutive triumphs.
The Titans stayed in fifth place at 3-5.
James Martinez unloaded a game-high 32 points, 15 from three-point range, to help the Titans erect leads as high as 30 points, 109-79, in the second half. With a report from Delfin Ray Dioquino and Philip Martin Matel
The scores:
First Game
AMA 113—Martinez 32, McCarthy 24, Arambulo 16, Taganas 12, Jo. Montemayor 10, Jordan 8, Ortega 5, Carpio 3, Asuncion 2, Belleza 1, Macaranas 0, Je. Montemayor 0.
BLUSTAR DETERGENT 84—Chun 21, Tiongson 15, Kuek 14, Ma 9, Liaw 8, Teo 6, Wong 3, Choo 2, Mak 2, Palma 2, Yeo 2, Gan 0, Ong 0, Yim 0.
Quarters: 20-19, 54-40, 81-63, 113-84
Second Game
TANDUAY 75—Celda 17, Ferrer 9, Lingganay 9, Mendoza 9, Acuña 8, Alolino 7, Javillonar 7, Santos 5, Tagarda 2, Eguilos 2, Belencion 0, Gotladera 0, Javelona 0, Stevens 0.
CAFE FRANCE 74—Abundo 18, Ebondo 13, Cruz 10, Opiso 8, Parala 8, Zamar 7, Jeruta 4, Casiño 3, Custodio 2, Arim 1, Manlangit 0.
Quarters: 15-18, 32-38, 52-52, 75-74