Quarters-bound St. Clare decimates Italiano's by 37 points in PBA D-League

MANILA, Philippines – BRT Sumisip Basilan-St. Clare heads into the 2019 PBA D-League Foundation Cup quarterfinals unscathed after blasting Italiano's Homme by 37 points, 138-101, Monday at Paco Arena in Manila.

Malian slotman Mohammed Pare had 16 points and 14 rebounds as he spearheaded the well-deployed attack of the Saints, which swept the elimination round with a 6-0 record.

Darwin Lunor also made 16 points, Jessie Collado produced 14 points and seven rebounds, while Joshua Fontanilla flirted with a triple-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.

Cris Dumapig had 13 points as well, as Junjie Hallare and Paul Santos chipped in 11 markers apiece in the triumph.

BRT Sumisip-St. Clare will go into the next round with enough momentum on its side but coach Stevenson Tiu remains wary, saying that the playoffs will be a much different story.

"Siyempre pagdating sa quarterfinals, semifinals, ibang istorya na yan. Yung mga tambak namin, hindi naman namin maca-carry over. So we will start from scratch again," he said.

The Saints had a sluggish start that saw them trail 16-18, until Dumapig sparked an overwhelming 17-0 blitz en route to a 33-18 lead with 9:31 remaining in the second frame.

The game would never be in question from then on as BRT Sumisip-St. Clare enjoyed a lead as high as 44 points, 134-90, following a Raymond Rubio three-pointer with 2:37 left in the game.

The Saints, armed with a twice-to-beat advantage, now turn their attention to Hyperwash in the quarterfinals.

Paolo Pontejos had 31 points and six boards to lead Italiano's Homme, which finished its campaign with a 1-5 card.

The scores:

BRT SUMISIP-ST. CLARE 138 – Lunor 16, Pare 16, Collado 14, Fontanilla 13, Dumapig 13, Hallare 11, Santos 11, Manacho 10, Decano 6, Tiquia 5, Palencia 5, Ng 5, Rubio 5, Penarendondo 4, Bautista 4.

ITALIANO’S HOMME 101 – Pontejos 31, Munsayac 20, Bonsubre 17, Cenal 12, Roy 9, Racho 6, Villahermosa 6, Neypes 0, Cruz 0, Labastida 0, Monte 0, Colina 0.
Quarters: 29-18, 56-38, 94-57, 138-101.