Cedric De Joya scored just before buzzed and Batangas Team escaped with an 81-79 thriller over Wangs Basketball on Tuesday in the Philippine Basketball Association Developmental League Foundation Cup at the Ynares Arena in Pasig City.
De Joya sped down court with time ticking down and scored in a wink of an eye after Robert Herndon tied the game at 79 on a three-pointer with 4.3 seconds left in the game.
In the other game, Tanduay routed Centro Escolar University, 75-60. Lester Alvarez and Adrian Santos scored 16 points apiece while Paul Varilla added 11 for the Rum Masters, who bounced back from an 89-63 loss to Cignal last June 1.
“What he did was pure common sense. And his instinct rewarded us with a win. Cedric has come a long way. I’m so pleased with his development,” said Batangas Coach Eric Gonzales the pint-sized guard.
“He’s not a natural point (guard) but we’re trying to develop his skills and he’s learning the ropes,” Gonzales added.
De Joya, who capitalizes on his speed and quickness, finished with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting but none was bigger than his game winner that kept Batangas tied for the lead with idle Flying V on a 2-0 record.
Joseph Sedurifa showed the way for the Batanguenos with 25 points and carried the team when Wangs had a good lead going and appeared in control.
Batangas also got a big game from Jessie Saitanan, who chipped in 10 points and four blocks. As a team, the Batanguenos had a total 14 blocks to typify their defense.
It was a tough loss for the Couriers, who led by as many as 15 points but came up short.
Wangs held a 39-27 lead with a 2:40 left in the second quarter when Batangas unleashed a 14-0 run to change the complexion of the game. Sedurifa capped that charge with three treys including a buzzer beater that gave Batanags a 41-39 lead at the half.
Batangas appeared comfortably ahead, 79-73, with 4:51 left but a couple of miscues led to two 3-pointers by Timothy Habelito and Herndon, who tied the game with a tough 3 with 4.3 second left.
Before the Couriers could set up a defense, Batangas quickly inbounded to De Joya, who sped down court and soar for a layup that hit the glass and fell to the net as time expired.
Herndon led all scorers with 27 points, Mike Sorela had 13 and Habelito added 11 for Wangs, which fell to 1-1 (win-loss) record.