MANILA – Bacolod-BingoPlus kept its unblemished slate in the 2022 MPBL Season with a 76-66 beating of Marikina Shoemasters on Saturday night at the Paco Arena in Manila.
Richard Albo was hailed as the Player of the Game after finishing with 13 points, including three outside hits, to go with four rebounds and two assists for Bacolod.
Alwyn Alday and Edrian Lao ended up with 12 points and eight rebounds each as Mark Maloles contributed eight markers as the Bacolodnons improved to 4-0.
The Bacolodnon eked out the victory despite missing the services of some veteran players, including Negrense forward Mark Yee, who were leading the team in the rebounding department.
“Kudos to our second stringers for stepping up in place of our injured starters and for also keeping our unbeaten record here in the MPBL,” said Bacolod team manager Leo Bat-Og.
After falling behind at 8-2 early in the game, Bacolod turned things around behind baskets from Albo, Alday and Lao for a 15-all score before pulling to a 23-15 edge on hits by Arben Dionson and Jeramer Cabanag.
Marikina clawed its way back to tie the score at 25-all but back-to-back treys by Albo followed by inside conversions from Jhan Nermal and Aaron Jeruta widened the lead for Bacolod at 44-31.
It was all Bacolod in the second half with Alday, Lao and Maloles spearheading the offense as it reached its largest at 66-48 before Marikina answered with late hits for the final margin.
Antonio Lorenzo Joson finished the game with 24 points, while Yves Sazon and Ramiro Bautista chipped in 16 and 12 markers, respectively, as Marikina dropped to 1-3.
The Bacolod-BingoPlus will have a lengthy break before plunging back to MPBL regular season action against Batangas on June 18 in Caloocan City.
BOX SCORE:
BACOLOD 76 — Albo 13, Alday 12, Lao 12, Maloles 8, Lee Yu 7, Ilagan 7, Cabanag 6, Nermal 4, Jeruta 4, Dionson 3, Pastias 0, Dela Cruz 0, Dabide 0, Tulipas 0.
MARIKINA 66 — Joson 24, Sazon 16, Bautista 12, Carurucan 4, Hernandez 4, Gayosa 2, Tolentino 2, Casajeros 2, Ocampo 0, Dava 0, Mendoza 0, Fortuno 0, Gines 0.
Quarterscores: 23-15, 44-31, 63-48, 76-66./PN
