FORMER Letran star Fran Yu made an impact as San Juan beat Bicol, 103-100, Wednesday night to extend its unbeaten run to four games and gain solo third place in the Manila Bankers Life-Pilipinas Super League Pro Division Second Conference Dumper Cup at the Rizal Technological University Gym in Mandaluyong City.
The 5-foot-10 Yu scattered 18 points, grabbed five rebounds and issued six assists in a gutsy debut for the Kings, while Marwin Taywan added 14 points, two rebounds and two assists.
Rence Nocum, AC Soberano and Paolo Javillonar also had 13, 12, and 11 points, respectively, for the Randy Alcantara-coached Kings, who went into the match on a high after they thumped San Pedro Laguna-ARS last week and raised their record to 4-0 won-lost.
Playing for the first time since absorbing a numbing 90-95 loss to Manila last December 8, the Oragons fell to their third straight defeat for a 2-4 card in the league presented by Winzir and co-presented by SCD Cosmetics and Dumper party-list and supported by NET 25, Adcon, Wcube Solutions Inc., MDC, Unisol, Don Benitos and Finn Cotton, with former Philippine Basketball Association and Gilas Pilipinas star Marc Pingris as commissioner.
Sta. Rosa Laguna repulsed 1Munti, 84-72, in the other game for its third straight triumph.
Don Reverente shone for the Lions with a double-double of 27 points and 11 rebounds, while Nat Cosejo and JBoy Solis added eight points each.
The win came on the heels of Sta. Rosa’s 73-64 victory over Quezon City last December 22 and hiked its card to 5-1 in a tie with Batang Kankaloo-Caloocan at fifth place.
Reeling from a 67-82 whipping at the hands of the Pampanga G Lanterns last week, their fifth straight that sank the Emeralds to 1-5.
John Olegario paced Bicol with 21 points and four rebounds, while James Martinez had 11 points and five rebounds.
Lester Reyes and Paulo Castro got 10 points each for the Oragons.
John Cantimbuhan scored 13 points for 1Munti, while RJ Ramirez added 12 points.
Francis Camacho also contributed 11 points for the Emeralds.