Cebuana Lhuillier went on a big tear in the third quarter to trounce FCA, 80-58, on Thursday at the San Juan gym in San Juan City, thus joining erstwhile Group B leader Cobra in the tally board of the Philippine Basketball Association Developmental League (PBA D-League) Foundation Cup.

The Gems and the Ironmen are now tied on top of the Group B standings with 2-0 records.

After a sluggish first half that ended with the Cultivators enjoying a 34-32 edge, the Gems used a big 21-4 blitz to erect a 58-47 lead at the end of the third period.

The lead ballooned in the fourth when the Cultivators only scored six points in the final two minutes of the match.

"FCA was solid on defense and we only had three assists in the first half, but we were able to execute better and got to establish our post game," said Cebuana coach Luigi Trillo.

Allein Maliksi, who played limited time for the Philippine Patriots in the 2nd ASEAN Basketball League, was pivotal in Cebu's third-quarter scoring splurge to finish with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Maliksi also got help from fellow ex-Patriot Benedict Fernandez and Ariel Mepana, who tallied 11 markers each, while Ariel Mepana scored 10 points.

"It was not only one guy that contributed for us, as everybody really tried to contribute," said Trillo.

The Cultivators dropped to 1-1, joining Max! Bond and Maynilad in the middle of the pack in Group B.

Cebuana's Hyram Bagatsing got bloodied when he sustained an ugly gash in his right forehead from an inadvertent elbow by Gilbert Bulawan in the fourth quarter.

In the first game, Ronald Pascual sizzled from three-point country as North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) cruised to an 87-72 victory against RnW Pacific Pipes.

Pascual led the Road Warriors with 25 points and nine rebounds, shooting 5-of-9 from beyond the arc to squelch RnW's bid for a fight-back.

The Road Warriors bounced back from their 74-79 loss to the Pharex Bidang Generix on March 22.

"I challenged them that the team's character will depend on how we come back after our loss to Pharex," said NLEX coach Boyet Fernandez.

Calvin Abueva had 12 points and seven rebounds, while Christopher Ellis had 10 points for the Road Warriors, who climbed to solo second place in Group A ( 2-1).

Reuben Terrado, GMA News TV