Jeron Teng. PBA IMAGES
Jeron Teng bucked his early struggles to post a triple-double to anchor Flying V to a 114-91 rout of AMA Online Education and clinch the top seed in the 2017 PBA D-League Foundation Cup Monday at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
Facing his former team, the 23-year-old swingman became only the fourth player in league history to reach the rare feat, posting 21 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds to keep the Thunder unblemished at 8-0.
“Jeron has nothing to prove when it comes to his scoring, but the good thing is he’s showing that he’s a multi-dimensional player,” said Flying V coach Eric Altamirano.
Teng earned an entry into the PBA D-League’s elite triple-double club, joining the ranks of BDO-NU’s Ray Parks, Phoenix’s Mike Tolomia (twice), and Racal Motors’ Kent Salado as the only other players to achieve such feat.
Eric Salamat captained his team’s three-point barrage en route to a game-high 33 points on a scorching 7-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc, on top of five steals. Flying V made 20 out of its 42 3-point attempts.
Jerick Cañada tallied 15 points, five boards, and five assists, while Gab Banal registered a double-double of 14 markers and 12 rebounds.
Altamirano was pleased the Thunder were able to pull the win off despite starting the game flat and falling behind, 18-2, to start the game.
“We’re happy that we’re the first one to make it to the semis. In the first half, we were a bit shaky, we were so relaxed and were complacent, but the good thing is we got our game back in the third quarter,” said the veteran mentor, whose team poured in 41 points in the game-swinging third frame.
Daniel Salonga paced also-ran AMA (1-7) with 20 points on a 5-of-16 shooting from the field, to go with five rebounds and four assists, while Mario Bonleon also fired blanks from the field with his 6-of-20 clip to wound up with 16 markers, four boards, and three dimes in the losing effort.
The scores:
FLYING V 114 – Salamat 33, Teng 21, Cañada 15, Banal 14, Torres 9, Thiele 7, Dionisio 6, Tampus 4, Austria 3, Colina 2, Gamboa 0, Mendoza 0, Paredes 0, Webb 0.
AMA 91 – Salonga 20, Bonleon 16, Paras 14, Calma 13, Celso 9, Flores 7, Jordan 4, Carpio 3, Macaranas 3, Tobias 2, Alas 0, Asuncion 0.
Quarters: 18-27, 43-45, 84-65, 114-91.