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HCG LAZULI OUTSHOOTS CROWN FOR 1ST WIN, 99-84

Exclusive by Epoy Del Rosario.

HCG Lazuli rode a very hot-shooting night from its players to barge into the win column at the expense of Crown, 99-84.

Brian James Chiu exploded for 51 big points, going for 13-of-19 from inside the arc, 6-of-12 from rainbow territory and 7-of-8 from the charity stripe in a shooting clinic conducted at the CCP Gym. Chiu also added 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals and 1 block to his stat line.

HCG Lazuli broke away early, racing to a 29-12 lead after the 1^st quarter behind Chiu’s deft shooting touch. The lead stayed put at the half with Crown still lagging behind by 17, 50-33 at the turn. Edison Lim and Joel Young fought to keep Crown in the game, with Lim exploding for 28 points to go with 3 rebounds and 3 steals. Young dished out a double-double performance with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Mike Tomeldan contributed 10 points and 8 boards with 2 steals manning the center position, while injured guard Kelvin De Chavez labored his way to 10 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Joseph Aral chipped in 8 points and 2 rebounds for Crown.

Crown brought the lead down somewhat to 12 at the start of the 4^th canto, but HCG Lazuli’s supporting cast held off any signs of a rally. Randy Go contributed 10 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists in a near triple-double performance, while architects Edward Albeza and Jay De Guzman added 7 and 6 points, respectively.

HCG-Lazuli got a big boost from player-sponsor Damar Sinco, who scored 14 points and hauled down 10 rebounds to help give his team a 1-1 record in the tournament.

Boxscores:

HCG_Lazuli (99): Chiu 51, Sinco 14, Go 10, Albeza 7, De Guzman 6, Combo 4, S. Chua 3, Casares 2, Tan 2, Vasquez 0

Crown (84): E. Lim 28, Young 18, Tomeldan 10, De Chavez 10, Aral 8, Soriquez 4, R. Chua 4, Virgo 2, Gamboa 0