Gems, Elite eye D-League semis today

ARMED with a twice-to-beat advantage, Cebuana Lhuillier and Blackwater Sports shoot for semifinal berths against separate foes today in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup at the Ynares Sports Arena.

A victory in the 4 p.m. duel with the Café France Bakers will reward the Gems a third straight semifinal appearance in the fledgling league.

The Elite also hope to join early semifinalists NLEX and Big Chill when they tangle with the RnW Pacific Pipes Steel Masters in the curtain-raiser at 2 p.m.

Gems coach Beaujing Acot is bracing for a tough fight against the Bakers, who are making their first apperance in the playoffs after gaining the No. 6 seeding because of a superior quotient.

“It’s playoff time, so expect games to be a lot more physical,” said Acot, who has won four of five games since taking over from Luigi Trillo early in the tournament.

Cebuana actually ended up with a 7-2 mark, in a tie with second seed Big Chill but the Super Chargers earned direct passage to the semifinals because of an earlier victory over the Gems. Cedelf P. Tupas