FORMER Adamson guard Lester Alvarez woke up in the second half and hit five three-pointers to help the Cebuana Lhuillier Gems down the Blackwater Sports, 101-84, in the PBA D-League yesterday at the San Juan gym.
The 5-foot-9 guard finished with 18 points that went with his three assists and two steals as the Gems bounce back from a 63-76 loss against defending champion NLEX last April 19.
Vic Manuel, last conference’s most valuable player, scored 20 points to show the way for the Gems, who turned the game around with an 18-8 run midway in the second period.
Earlier, Alex Mallari scored 11 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter as Big Chill overcame a third quarter meltdown and defeated the Jr. Powerade Tigers, 73-61. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio