Louie Sangalang gets things going for Terrafirma in the first half.
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TERRAFIRMA is determined to bow out of the PBA in style.
That intention clearly showed when the Dyip handily beat Phoenix Super LPG, 95-87, Friday in the kickoff match of the PBA Philippine Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Louie Sangalang kickstarted the Dyip's rampage with 10 of his 21 points in the opening quarter before Stanley Pringle and Terrence Romeo took turns spearheading their surge into as much as an 89-66 lead.
Romeo scored all of his 17 points in the second half with his output capped by his fourth and last triple that made it a 92-79 count and practically all but sealed the match going to the final 2:42 of play.
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When the final buzzer sounded, Terrafirma came up with the victory that matched its win-total in the last Commissioner's Cup when rumors of its eventual sale began surfacing.
It was also only the second win in as many conferences for coach Raymond Tiongco in the PBA and he credited his players' dedication to the gameplan they polished in-between conferences.
"Actually, committed sila lahat sa defense namin. We did good. May mga lapses, pero nakapag-adjust naman," said Tiongco.
The loss marked the fourth straight conference Phoenix lost its first game of the tournament, notwithstanding Kai Ballungay notching game-highs of 30 points and 15 rebounds.
Raul Soyud was the only other player to finish in double figures for the Fuel Masters with 11 points as the rest struggled mightily in the absence of injured main man Jason Perkins.
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Solid proof of Tiongco's statement were the 22 turnovers committed by Phoenix, a flaw compounded by the Fuel Masters' combined 3-of-23 shooting from both arcs.
To his credit, Pringle also had 17 points with nine of those coming in the second period when he hooked up with CJ Catapusan in bringing Terrafirma back from a 28-36 deficit and into a 49-43 halftime lead.
Romeo then picked up the cudgels in the third period where he scattered 14 of his points, powering the Dyip to a 73-56 advantage before his teammates padded that lead to 79-59, going to the last 12 minutes of play.(NC)
The Scores:
TERRAFIRMA 95 - Sangalang 21, Pringle 17, Romeo 17, Hernandez 9, Catapusan 9, Melecio 8, Paraiso 6, Nonoy 4, Ramos 4, Zaldivar 0, Hanapi 0.
PHOENIX 87 - Ballungay 30, Soyud 11, Salado 9, Tio 9, Alejandro 6, Garcia 4, Camacho 4, Ricero 3, Jazul 3, Manganti 2, Verano 2, Tuffin 2, Daves 2.
QUARTERS: 21-25, 49-43, 79-59,95-87
