“Sobrang excited ako kasi makakalaban namin ngayon yung top team sa Group B. Nasa kanila yung pressure kasi 2-0 sila sa standing. Basta kami excited na talunin sila," he said before the game.

Motivated to prove themselves, the Junior Powerade Tigers clinched their first win against Cebuana at the Emilio Aguinaldo College Gym, 77-73.

Powerade made an early run and scored the first seven points of the game, finishing the opening quarter at 18-8.

However, what seemed to be smooth sailing for Powerade took a sudden turn when forward Carlo Gomez was charged with a flagrant foul for elbowing Pari Llagas. Coach Ricky Dandan gave his player a mouthful and pulled him to the bench before he was officially thrown out of the game.

Cebuana took advantage of the shift in momentum, firing 16 points early in the second quarter to grab their only lead in the entire match, 24-23.

James Martinez contributed 16 points, four assists and six rebounds in keeping the Tigers afloat with his quick treys.

Before going into the halftime break, Martinez lay prostrate on the floor after apparently being punched by Matt Lee during the last play. However, no foul was called.

Cebuana played catch-up until the fourth quarter, which featured heroics by Allein Maliksi and Alaska draftee Marvin Hayes.

Both teams were on penalty during the final minute, which turned into a contest of free throws.

Maliksi scored an easy two-pointer with only 18 seconds left in the game, cutting Powerade’s lead to two, 75-73.

With only a few seconds left in the shot clock and Powerade in possession, Cebuana had no choice but to foul. Tiger John Smith made two of four free throws in Powerade's last two plays to finish the game at 77-73.

“Sobrang masaya ako kasi nanalo na kami sa wakas, pero dapat manalo ulit para mas masaya," said best player Sison who exploded with 16 points, ten rebounds and seven blocks.

Dandan reiterated though that the win was just icing on the cake, as joining the D-League is supposed to be preparation for the college basketball wars in July.

“Ang importante talaga sa ’kin ay yung maglaro sila as a team kasi hindi lang naman ito para sa D-League. Most of my players are members of the UP Fighting Maroons, so this is also in preparation for the UAAP," he ended.

Mav Gonzales, GMA News TV