Cebauno sensation Mac Tallo went on a blaze as Racal Motors Alibaba kickstarted its campaign with a 118-100 thumping of the AMA Online Education Titans, Thursday afternoon at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
The Cebuano guard unfurled 15 of his 20 points in the first half and went on a 4-of-9 shooting from threes to carry the Alibaba to the 18-point rout. He also dished four assists and hauled three rebounds off the bench.
“Impressive si Mac sa first game nya sa amin. I hope he continues to do that,” said coach Jerry Codiñera.
However, the victory wasn’t the work of Tallo alone, as Racal started the game on fire, going 13-of-17 in the first quarter to erect a 36-16 lead, which ballooned to 31, 106-75 with 6:49 remaining.
Janus Lozada chipped in 17 markers, while Jam Cortez got 15 points and five boards for the Alibaba.
“Siyempre masaya kami. Very crucial yung first win lalo na para sa amin na nag-overhaul ng buong team. We’ll just make our adjustments along the way,” said Codiñera.
Mario Bonleon led AMA Online Education with 31 points and 12 rebounds, but went on an 8-of-20 clip from the field, including a dismal 0-of-8 shooting from downtown.
Daniel Salonga also got 20 markers and four boards, while Renzo Subido had 11 in the losing effort.
Racal will next face the the Zark’s Jawbreakers on Thursday, June 8 at 10:00am. On the other hand, AMA will have a tough second outing when they take on the Cignal HD Hawkeyes on Tuesday, June 13 at 2:00pm.
The Scores:
Racal Motors (118) – Tallo 20, Lozada 17, Cortez 15, Salado 13, Ayonayon 12, Faundo 9, Capacio 9, Dela Cruz 7, Apreku 6, Mangahas 4, Grimaldo 2, Bulawan 2, Abrigo 2, Cabrera 0.
AMA (100) – Bonleon 31, Salonga 20, Subido 11, Teodoro 9, Pontejos 8, Villanueva 7, Jordan 4, Bragais 4, Celso 4, Grospe 2, Carpio 0, Calma 0.
Quarterscores: 36-16, 66-43, 94-73, 118-100.
