MANILA, Philippines – Fruitas gave newcomer Jumbo Plastic a debut to forget with an 81-56 beatdown Tuesday in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup at the San Juan Arena.
The Shakers zoomed to an early 25-7 lead and never looked back as it kept a near 30-point lead throughout the second half.
“Sumunod lahat. Nothing special, ang sinabi ko lang sa kanila sa dugout, we are built to last. Hindi lang tayo pang-isang game, yung laro natin kailangan may exclamation point,” said Fruitas assistant coach Eric Gonzales.
“It’s not about Fruitas, not about FEU, it’s about the team concept,” Gonzales added who took over the sidelines with head coach Nash Racela fulfilling his commitments as assistant coach with Talk ‘N Text in the PBA.
The game appeared to be decided in the third quarter where the Shakers continued to roll behind Anjo Caram’s seven points en route to a game-high 18 points.
“Stable at matapang at tsaka parang coach mag-isip,” Gonzales said of Caram, who also had three rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Carlo Lastimosa scored 16 points and dished out five assists for Fruitas, which is looking to bounce back from a disappointing stint last conference.
University of Santo Tomas star Aljon Mariano carried the load for the Giants with 15 points and nine rebounds.