ZARK’S Burger-Lyceum of the Philippines University picked up its game in the third quarter and the Jawbreakers dismantled the Mila’s Lechon Mighty Roasters,102-55, on Thursday in the Philippine Basketball Association Developmental D-League Aspirants’ Cup at the Pasig City Sport Center.
Jeric Serrano and brothers Jaycee and Jayvee Marcelino put together a 20-0 run in the third quarter, as the Jawbreakers pulled away from a tight game en route to their fifth consecutive victory.
That explosion turned out to be a knockout punch as the Mighty Roasters would not recover from that devastating blow to remain winless in four games.
It was another embarrassing loss for the Mighty Roasters, who gave Coach Topex Robinson and his Jawbreakers a scare in the first half before turning mediocre in the last 20 minutes.
“We don’t have control on how our opponents play. We always tell the players that no matter who we’re playing, we have to play at our best every time. If the opportunity is there to score, we’ll keep on scoring,” Robinson said.
“Basketball has been good to us and the only thing we can do is to respect the game. I just told them that they’re so lucky that they’re in this team that nurtures that kind of respect for the game,” he added.
Bryle Herradura opened the third quarter with two free throws before Serrano hit successive jump shots to spark the decisive run.
The Mighty Roasters shot 17 of 40 in the first half but shot a horrendous three of 16 from the field in the third quarter. Mila’s Lechon shot 22 of 67 in the first half as compared to Zark’s Burger-Lyceum’s 42 of 82.
Mila’s Lechon also committed 30 turnovers, 10 more than Zark’s Burger-Lyceum’s.
The two teams battled to a 25-all tie after one quarter and the game stayed close at the end of the second period with Zark’s Burger-Lyceum holding on to a 44-39 lead.
Mike Nzeusseu tallied 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as Zark’s Burger-Lyceum took a 53-33 advantage off the boards. Kim Cinco and Jaycee Marcelino had 12 points apiece for the Jawbreakers, who improved to 5-1 record.