ALjon Marion vs Kevin Racal. Nuki Sabio/PBA
MANILA, Philippines—Aljon Mariano paced Jumbo Plastic’s 81-55 demolition of fellow newcomer Hogs Breath Cafe on Thursday in the 2013 PBA D-League Foundation Cup at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
The Linoleum Giants vented their ire on the Razorbacks, bouncing back from an embarrassing opener against Fruitas last Tuesday, 56-81.
“Yung ginawa ko motivation sa mga player. Challenge ko sa kanila na subukan naman nila manalo,” said head coach Steve Tiu.
“Siguro overecxited nung first game at ngayon nakapagsettle down. Maganda naman recovery namin,” added the Hope Christian Highschool mentor.
After trailing 1-2 at the start of the game, Jumbo Plastic, which led by as much as 34 markers, just went guns ablaze to leave Hogs Breath far behind.
Mariano scattered a game-high 17 points, along with 11 rebounds. A bucket after a three-pointer from the University of Santo Tomas stalwart made to 61-27 in the third.
The Razorbacks, meanwhile, were doomed by its 18-point first half. Kevin Racal, a Letran standout, was the lone player to dole out double digits with 13 points.
Hogs Breath just seemed disorganized throughout, managing just 30 rebounds and 10 assists compared to Jumbo Plastic’s 42 and 21, respectively.
There were a lot of growing pains for the Razorbacks, allowing the Giants to take a 21-13 edge in turnover points despite even having less miscues.