Ildefonso breaks out as starter as Suwon tops Belangel, Daegu

MANILA, Philippines – Dave Ildefonso got the better of his former Ateneo teammate SJ Belangel as the Suwon KT Sonicboom chalked up an 88-84 win over the Daegu KOGAS Pegasus in the Korean Basketball League (KBL) on Tuesday, January 31.

Ildefonso impressed in his first ever starting role for Suwon, finishing with a season-high 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists in close to 18 minutes of play.

The UAAP Season 85 champion and Mythical Team member Ildefonso, who was averaging just 4.5 points prior to Tuesday’s matchup, quickly made his presence felt on the offensive end as he unloaded all of his 10 points in the opening period alone to lead Suwon to a slim 22-20 start.

Belangel, meanwhile, tallied 8 points on an identical 4-of-7 clip from the field and 2 rebounds in a little less than 21 minutes of action.

With Suwon on top by 4, 86-82, Belangel converted on a layup with 11.7 seconds remaining to give Daegu a glimmer of hope, trimming the deficit back to just a single possession.

Unfortunately for Daegu, Suwon’s Jarrod Jones put the nail in the coffin in the following play with two free throws that settled the final count at 88-84.

Jones dropped a game-high 23 points, while Jung Sung-woo added 22 for Suwon.

On the other side, Lee Dae-sung carried the scoring cudgels anew for Daegu with 22 points, while former PBA import Murphy Holloway delivered a double-double of 21 markers and 13 boards.

Suwon upped its record to 16-20, while Daegu, which suffered its fourth straight defeat, fell to 13-23.

Over in Jeonju, the Rhenz Abando-less Anyang KGC hacked out an exciting 83-81 escape over the Jeonju KCC Aegis.

Anyang’s Byeon Junhyeong scored the game-winning basket off a tough and-one play in transition with 18.9 seconds to go as Heo Ung’s potential buzzer-beating jumper for Jeonju fell short. 

Ex-NBA big men Omari Spellman and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson both came out to play for Anyang and Jeonju, respectively, as the former recorded a double-double of 34 points and 11 rebounds, while the latter posted his own double-double of 37 markers and 11 boards. 

Anyang remained at the top spot with a 25-11 slate. – Rappler.com