Eagles take D-League opener over Scratchers

MANILA, Philippines — Cignal-Ateneo came out with guns ablaze and never let up as it blasted Go for Gold-CSB, 103-75, to jumpstart its campaign in the PBA D-League at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig yesterday.

The Blue Eagles posted a 27-point spread in the second quarter and never allowed the Scratchers to recover en route to their runaway triumph.

“Offensively, I was surprised we played pretty well,” said Blue Eagles coach Tab Baldwin.

“We got some guys right now in our roster that are not allowed to shoot the ball right now because we are reconstructing their shots. So some of the guys didn’t take shots when they were open simply because they are not allowed to right now. But we’re not doing a lot, really. But the guys played very efficiently. That’s a good thing. That’s one thing I always wanted them to do and today was a good example of that.”

Isaac Go topscored with 21 points, Adrian Wong dropped 17, Matt Nieto put in 14 and Ange Kouame 13, including a dunk late in the fourth, and also collared 18 rebounds for the Blue Eagles who registered a 55.6 clip from the field anchored on 29 assists.

Justin Gutang produced 21 points while Yankee Haruna chipped in 11 for the Scratchers who struggled with a 29.4 percent field-goal shooting.

In the second game, Valencia City, Bukidnon-San Sebastian collapsed in the fourth quarter but fended off Marinerong Pilipino, 110-104, in overtime to also notch a win on opening day.