MANILA – Chris dela Pena scored on a game-winning basket as Batangas-EAC Generals escaped with a 91-90 victory over Family Mart-Enderun in the 2019 PBA D-League on Monday at the JCSGO Gym in Cubao, Quezon City.
Trailing 89-90 after back-to-back hits by Enderun’s Joseph Kouakou, Dela Pena surged the Generals ahead 91-90 with an inside hit with 13.8 seconds left before thwarting the game-winning try of the Enderun.
Dela Pena finished the match with 12 points, with half coming in the fourth quarter, to go along with three rebounds for the Generals, which halted its three-game slide to improve to 2-5 win-loss slate.
Earvin Mendoza tallied 18 markers, four rebounds and two assists, while Marwin Taywan and rookie Allan Martin chipped in 14 and 10 markers, respectively, for the Generals.
“I told them that we should learn how to win,” said Generals head coach Oliver Bunyi. “This game, the effort was there and I’m very proud of them na kahit paano ‘yung instructions, nasunod naman.”
The Generals got to a strong start and went up by as much as 31-16 early in the first half but the Enderun came up with a strong third quarter showing to turn the match into a seesaw affair.
The loss was tough for the Family Mart-Enderun as it got dealt with its sixth defeat in as many outings while also eliminating them from playoff contention, sending Chauca’s 30-point performance down the drain anew./PN
