Abarrientos, Ulsan outgun Belangel, Daegu in Filipino KBL import showdown

MANILA, Philippines – RJ Abarrientos had the last laugh over fellow Filipino star SJ Belangel in their highly anticipated Korean Basketball League (KBL) showdown as the visiting Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus downed the Daegu KGC Pegasus, 81-71, on Friday, October 28.

Abarrientos continued his torrid shooting to start his first professional season with a game-high 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting and 3-of-10 from three, to go with 3 rebounds and 3 assists as Ulsan rose to a 4-1 record on the back of a three-game winning streak.

Daegu, on the other hand, kept on sliding the opposite direction as it fell to a 1-4 slate off its third straight loss, as Belangel saw his 13-point outing on a 5-of-10 clip in just 19 minutes go to waste.

Gaige Prim also added 15 points, 5 boards, and 3 steals for the Phoebus’ winning cause, while Dae-Sung Lee led all scorers in the loss with 19 points on 6-of-17 shooting.

Meanwhile, Fil-Am guard Ethan Alvano fell two points shy of a double-double as he collected 8 points and 11 assists with a steal in Wonju DB Promy’s 92-83 win over the Seoul SK Knights to rise to a 3-2 record for the season.

Finally, Rhenz Abando’s Anyang KGC bounced back from its first season loss with an 83-79 escape against Justin Gutang’s Changwon LG Sakers, but both Filipino imports were not fielded in the tight affair. – Rappler.com