Debuting Quiambao nears triple-double as La Salle hands Letran 1st D-League loss

MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas big man Kevin Quiambao lived up to the hype in his debut for the EcoOil-La Salle Green Archers as they handed the Wangs-Letran Knights their first loss in the 2022 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup, 94-87, at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City on Tuesday, July 26.

Fresh from a stint with the national team in the FIBA Asia Cup, Quiambao finished with a near triple-double of 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists to propel the Green Archers to the much-needed victory.

Aside from Quiambao, four more players scored in double figures for La Salle, with Jan Macalalag leading the way with 18 points.

Penny Estacio contributed 14 points on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc while do-it-all forward Michael Phillips tallied 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 steals for the Green Archers, who hiked their record to 3-2.

With the score knotted at 75-all midway through the fourth quarter, the Green Archers – led by Macalalag, Quiambao, and Joaqui Manuel – unleashed a 17-6 blast to lead by their largest at 11 points, 92-81, with only 52 seconds remaining.

Brent Paraiso quickly countered with a triple in the following play to trim La Salle’s lead back to single digits, 92-84, before Manuel iced the game with a free throw with 37 seconds left on the clock.

Manuel chipped in 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists for the Green Archers.

On the other side, Paolo Javilionar topscored for the Knights with 19 points as they dropped to 3-1.

Juan Gomez de Liaño toys with AMA in Marinero blowout; San Sebastian stays streaking

In the first game, the Marinerong Pilipino Skippers cruised to an 87-49 win over AMA Online to formally secure a playoff spot in the Aspirants’ Cup.

Playing without its key player Jollo Go, who was recently picked up by the Blackwater Bossing for the PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals, Marinerong Pilipino relied on the all-around efforts of Juan Gomez de Liaño, who posted a monster double-double of 31 points and 16 rebounds, to go along with 5 assists.

Toby Agustin and Brian Lacap added 15 and 11 points, respectively, for the Skippers, while Gomez de Liaño’s fellow former Japan B. League import Kemark Cariño had 4 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks.

Nem dela Cruz was the lone player to finish in double-digits for AMA Online for the second straight outing with 12 points on a dismal 2-of-16 shooting from three-point land.

Marinerong Pilipino improved its record to 4-1, while the cellar-dwelling AMA Online fell to 0-5, out of playoff contention.

Like the Skippers, the red-hot APEX Fuel-San Sebastian Stags secured a spot in the playoffs with a 71-62 victory over the CEU Scorpions.

With its fourth straight win, San Sebastian tied Marinerong Pilipino at the No. 1 spot with a 4-1 slate.

James Una led the way for the Stags with 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting, while Jacob Shanoda and Ichie Altamirano came up with 13 and 11 points, respectively.

Meanwhile, Lenard Santiago’s 20-point performance for the Scorpions went down the drain as they fell to 2-3 in the standings.

The Scores

First Game

Marinerong Pilipino 87 – Gomez de Liano 31, Agustin 15, Lacap 11, Garcia 6, Gamboa 6, Nocum 6, Hernandez 5, Carino 4, Bonifacio 3, Bonsubre 0, Pido 0.

AMA 49 – Dela Cruz 12, Velchez 7, Fuentes 6, Gile 6, Pineda 5, D. Cruz 3, Baclig 3, Yambao 3, Kapunan 2, R. Cruz 2, Palana 0, Villamor 0, Romero 0, Ceniza 0, Camay 0.

Quarters: 10-15, 38-25, 63-35, 87-49.

Second Game

EcoOil-La Salle 94 – Macalalag 18, Quiambao 15, Estacio 14, M. Phillips 13, Manuel 11, Nwankwo 9, Buensalida 4, Cortez 4, Escandor 3, Alao 2, Abadam 1.

Wangs-Letran 87 – Javillonar 19, Reyson 16, Paraiso 12, Caralipio 12, Sangalang 8, Yu 7, Tolentino 6, Monje 4, Lantaya 0.
Quarters: 16-22, 38-42, 61-62, 94-87.

– Rappler.com