Sharks beaten black and blue by Crusaders in MPBL hoopla

CEBU, Philippines — After going 2-0 at their home turf, the Cebu City Sharks tumbled again on the road, absorbing a stingy 57-80 loss to the Rizal Crusaders in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) Datu Cup on Monday night at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

Marco Balagtas dropped 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Crusaders, who used a lightning attack at the start of the final period to slaughter the Sharks.

Already in control with a 53-42 advantage, the Crusaders uncorked a blistering 14-0 rally to blow up their lead to 25 points, 67-42, midway in the final quarter that left the Sharks in turbulent journey the rest of the way.

The Crusaders outpointed the Sharks in the final frame, 27-15, and 49-29 overall in the second half resulting into a 23-point cakewalk.

Jerome Juanico chipped in 15 markers and five assists, while Eric de la Cuesta tossed in 12 points, seven assists and four rebounds as the Crusaders notched their only fifth win in 16 games.

Joel Lee Yu was the only twin-digit scorer with 15 points and four assists for the Sharks, who dropped to 6-10 in a tie with the Pampanga Lanterns. - EBV (FREEMAN)