MANILA, Philippines – Ethan Alvano’s solid outing for the Wonju DB Promy went for naught as Rhenz Abando and the league-leading Anyang KGC handed them a 99-84 beatdown in the Korean Basketball League (KBL) on Thursday, November 3.
In a battle of two Filipino imports, Alvano outplayed the former NCAA MVP Abando as he exploded for a team-best 22 points on 7-of-13 shooting, together with 3 rebounds and 3 assists.
Meanwhile, Abando, who just made his season debut for Anyang last Sunday, went scoreless in close to 7 minutes of play and recorded just 1 rebound and 2 assists.
After trailing by 9 points at halftime, 40-49, Anyang’s offense came alive in the third quarter and outscored Wonju, 33-18, for a 73-67 edge heading into the final frame.
Anyang then kept its foot on the gas in the payoff period, quickly pushing its lead to double-digits with 8:35 left to play, 79-69, a gap that proved to be enough to secure the victory.
Former NBA player Omari Spellman, the 30th overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2018 Draft, carried Anyang anew with a double-double of 25 points and 11 rebounds.
Abando’s Anyang captured its third straight win and improved its record to 7-1, while Alvano’s Wonju, which saw its five-game winning streak come to an end, dropped to 5-3 in the standings.
Meanwhile, SJ Belangel failed to keep his hot momentum going for the Daegu KOGAS Pegasus as they fell to the Suwon KT Sonicboom, 97-81.
The former Ateneo and Gilas Pilipinas point guard Belangel, who is coming off a 25-point explosion in Daegu’s previous game, struggled from the field this time, hitting just 2 of his 11 attempts to finish with 9 points, along with 2 rebounds and 3 assists.
With the loss, Daegu moved down to 2-5 – tied with Suwon and Jeonju at the bottom of the pack. – Rappler.com
