MANILA, Philippines – The Go For Gold (GFG) Scratchers started their semis on a high note as they beat Marinerong Pilipinas 96-87 in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup in the Ynares Sports Arena on Tuesday, July 31.
Matt Salem topscored with 24 points, followedb by Jai Reyes with 17 points and 5 rebounds.
Frankie Johnson sparked things hot for Marinero with a drive and a triple to spark a 7-0 run to start the game for the Engineers at 0-7.
GFG returned the favor by going on an 11-4 run off of Gaco and Canada to end the first on a slim two-point lead, 23-21.
GFG shined for most of the second frame as they went on a 15-2 burst to put the score at 40-28 with Rey Publico chipping in 7 points. This lit fire through Trevis Jackson who went on a personal 8-0 romp to bring the score to 40-37 until a shot from Vince Tolentino took the first half for the Scratchers at 42-37.
The 3rd frame began with Jai Reyes sparking an 8-2 run to bring it at 51-40.
Jorey Napoles and Abu Tratter then combined for 13 points to come close at 56-54 but Go for Gold unleashed a 12-4 run off Kris Porter and Reyes who eventually ended the third with Marinero trailing by 10 at 68-58.
The 4th seemed to seal the victory for Go For Gold as the lead did not shake at 84-76 at the 3:30 minute mark. From there, Matt Salem bolstered a 10-2 run off his 6 points at 94-78 with 1:30 to spare.
Tratter tried to power through to cut the deficit but failed to so as GFG took the game 96-87.
GFG Coach Charles Tiu, despite being ejected off a second technical foul said that “at the end of the day, it’s the players who will win the game. We’ll keep it simple.”
Tratter paced Marinero with 27 points and 5 rebounds while Jackson followed him with 21 points and 10 assists.
The Scores
GFG: Salem 24, Reyes 17, Canada 11, Gaco 9, Porter 9, Tolentino 9, Publico 8, Banal 4, Wong 3, Pili 2.
MPT: Tratter 27, Jackson 21, Manalang 11, Napoles 11, Thiele 8, Johnson 7, Medina 2, Enguio 0, Ndiaye 0, Palencia 0.
Quarter Scores: 23-21, 42-37, 68-58, 96-87.
– with reports from Tonichi Regalado/Rappler.com
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.