MANILA, Philippines—Cagayan Valley lit it up in the fourth period and torched Big Chill, 77-59, in the 2012-2013 PBA D-League Aspirants Cup at the Arellano Gym in Manila.
Eliud Poligrates and Adrian Celada combined for five treys in the fourth period and sparked the scoring binge for the Rising Suns, which stretched the lead 66-53 with 5:32 left.
For good measure, Mark Bringas nailed a trey from top of the key, which gave the Rising Suns a 74-56 lead, their biggest of the game, with under a minute to go.
Cagayan Valley showed no rust—even after taking a long break just like most squads in the league—and was always on the run against the rusty Superchargers.
“Our players worked double time. But it all started with our defense,” said head coach Alvin Pua after the game.
Poligrates, who came from Southwestern University in Cesafi, sizzled with 19 points while Celada added 15 along with six boards, two assists, two steals and three blocks.
Arellano standout James Forrester went scoreless in the payoff period, but kickstarted Cagayan Valley’s big with 11 of his 14 points in the opening quarter.
A 9-1 by Rising Suns, capped by a trey and a bucket from Celada and Poligrates, bridging the third and fourth quarters, kept Big Chil at bay for good.
Cagayan tied with Big Chill at third spot with 5-3, behind Blackwater (5-2) and NLEX (9-1).
The Superchargers’ best run was late in the third, where they finally pulled within striking distance and tied the game at 46 with a minute left.
But Big Chill went on to get outscored like it had been in the last three quarters, managing just 12 points in the fourth compared to Cagayan Valley’s 27.
Technical fouls plagued the Superchargers since halftime, even as burly center Arvie Bringas was sent off for incurring his second technical infraction, 4:25 in the third quarter.