MANILA, Philippines—Blackwater went on a furious run late to keep Boracay Rum winless, 67-56, Tuesday in the 2012 PBA D-League Foundation Cup at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
The Elite trailed, 40-48, at the end of the third quarter before surging ahead on a 20-1 blast to start the fourth period.
“We couldn’t execute with our half-court sets [in the first three quarters]. So the old style, if you can’t execute as a team, execute individually,” said Blackwater head coach Leo Isaac.
“And we got lucky with Kelly Nabong. And when he got doubled, our shooters hit their shots and we were able to finish the game very well,” added Isaac.
Paul Zamar sparked the Elite’s rally with a triple and a free throw on a flagrant foul called on Erwin Cornejo that tied the game at 49-all.
“We don’t want to be their first victim,” said Isaac.
At that point on, Blackwater had complete control of the game.
Kelly Nabong led the way with 26 points and 15 rebounds for the Elite, who notched their third win in four games.
Guards Clark Bautista and Jordan Mandani added 10 points.
The Waves, who dropped to 0-3, went on a dry spell in the final period as they went without a field goal in nearly seven minutes.
Maclean Sabellina had a team-high 15 points, including a basket which ended the Waves’ drought with 2:55 remaining.