The EcoOil-La Salle came alive in the fourth canto to thwart the Adalem Construction-St. Clare, 89-74, in Game One of the 2022 PBA D-League Aspirants' Cup semifinals on Friday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Schonny Winston put up 24 points, four assists, three rebounds, and three assists to power the Green Archers to the easy win and move a victory away from advancing to the championship series.
CJ Austria was also crucial for EcoOil-La Salle's 11-2 fourth quarter pullaway that gave the Archers a 71-55 cushion. He scored eight of his 15 points in that stretch, on top of his seven boards.
Kevin Quiambao commandeered the team's defense and finished with 18 points, six rebounds, four blocks, and three dimes off the bench, while Mark Nonoy had 15 points on 3-of-5 shooting from deep.
"We tightened up on defense," said coach Derick Pumaren, as his side broke off from a 52-all deadlock and finished the third quarter on an 8-1 blast to take a 60-53 edge. La Salle kept on coming and stretched the lead to its biggest at 21 points, 78-57.
In the first game, Marinerong Pilipino also moved a win away from a return trip to the Finals after they took down the Apex Fuel-San Sebastian, 74-66 in the other semifinal series.
Juan Gomez de Liano ignited the Skippers' early 21-8 assault that set the tone for the dominant win. Marinero led by as much as 17 points, 72-55. The University of the Philippines playmaker led the way with a near-triple-double of 16 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists as Marinerong Pilipino aims to make it back to the championship series after finishing as the runner-up in the 2019 Foundation Cup.
Arvin Gamboa chimed in 15 points, five boards, two assists, and two blocks, Jollo Go scored 14, and Adrian Nocum nabbed 12 points and seven rebounds for the Skippers.