MANILA – Dave Ildefonso finally made his Korean Basketball League debut, with his squad Suwon KT Sonicboom cruising to a 77-66 win over Seoul Samsung Thunders on Thursday night at the Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium.
Ildefonso, a member of the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles team that won the UAAP Season 85 men’s basketball title, tallied five points and four rebounds in 17 minutes of action for Sonicboom.
Jarrod Jones led the way with 15 points to go with five rebounds and two assists, while Hongseok Yang and Jeong Seong-Woo chipped in 13 and 10 markers, respectively, for Sonicboom.
Former PBA import Lester Prosper was limited anew offensively with just six points, on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting clip, but hauled 10 rebounds as Suwon KT improved to 15-17 win-loss slate.
Darral Willis led the way with 24 points and nine rebounds, while Junghyun Lee chipped in 13 markers as the Samsung Thunders continued its struggle as they dropped to 10-23 record.
Meanwhile, Ethan Alvano and the Wonju DB Promy suffered its second straight defeat in a week after being walloped by the Goyang Carrot Jumpers, 87-72, at the Goyang Gymnasium.
The Filipino-American Alvano made his presence felt with 13 points to go with three rebounds and three assists but was not enough to propel the Promy, which dropped to 12-21.
Didric Lawson was a problem for the Promy as he led the Carrot Jumpers (18-15) with 40 points along with nine rebounds and seven assists, while Hyunmin Choi and Kangsun Kim had 13 and 12, respectively.
Sangjae Kang top-scored for the slumping Promy with 21 points, including two triples, to go with seven rebounds, while Lenard Freeman chipped in double-double 13 points and 14 rebounds.
Ildefonso and the Sonicboom will aim for their second straight win against Seoul SK Knights on Saturday afternoon at the Suwon KT Arena, while Alvano and the Promy hopes to snap their losing skid against Samsung Thunders on the same day./PN
