MANILA – Richard Escoto knocked down a buzzer-beating triple as the Iloilo United Royals pulled off a 67-64 win over Paranaque Patriots in the 2019-2020 Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Lakan Cup on Friday night at the San Juan Arena.
With the score tied at 64-all, Royals’ Aaron Jeruta nearly turned the ball over but was able to pass the ball to Escoto, who converted a wild shot from the left elbow for the marginal hit.
The former Far Eastern University Tamaraws forward finished the match with 11 points, five rebounds, and four assists as the expansion team Royals kicked off its campaign in the tournament on a winning note.
Samboy De Leon led the way with 18 points, while Donald Gumaru and Al Francis Tamsi submitted 11 and 10 markers, respectively, for the Eric Gonzales-mentored Royals.
Trailing 16-21 after the first quarter, the Royals dominated the Patriots in the second frame limiting their opponents to four points for a 35-25 halftime edge but the Patriots bounced back in the second half to keep the match close.
“Before the game, sabi ko, nag-pray ako na hindi kailangan na tambakan. Basta manalo lang. Hirap manalo at maraming unpredictable,” Gonzales said.
Jemal Vizcarra finished with 12 points, while Dwight Saguiguit tallied double-double 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Patriots, which slid down to 1-1 win-loss record with the loss.
In the other match, San Juan Knights escaped with a 74-72 victory over the Pasay Voyagers. Andrew Estrella top-scored with 13 points, while John Wilson, Carlos Isit and Larry Rodriguez had 10 points each for the Knights./PN
