Manila sent Gen San to the brink of elimination after a 75-65 triumph in the 2021 Chooks-to-Go Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Invitational powered by TM, Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Carlo Lastimosa, who was out in the Stars’ last two games due to a strained groin, led the win with a team-high 15 points to go along with four assists and two rebounds.
“Coming from last game, we’re slowly getting yung rhythm namin,” said Manila head coach Cholo Villanueva. “But I was quite disappointed in this game some parts of it because we were lacking some energy and aggressiveness.”
After a tight affair in the first half, the Stars broke the game wide open, going on an 8-0 run to gain a 49-30 lead in the early part of the third quarter. The lead went to as high as 25 points, 64-39.
Dan Sara added 11 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in the win while John Rey Villanueva contributed 11 points and seven boards.
“Buti na lang the leaders of this team like si Dan [Sara] and si Carlo [Lastimosa] stepped up and showed the young guys how to play consistently. So slowly they’re learning what I want and what I don’t want,” added Villanueva.
Manila moved to 2-1 in Pool D while also pushing Gen San to 0-3. Mindoro and Imus remain spotless with identical 2-0 slates while the 1-1 Rizal and the 0-2 Bulacan followed.
Gerald Anderson was the top scorer for the Warriors with 15 points laced with four rebounds.
Cris Masaglang finished with 13 points, eight boards, and six rebounds while RJ Ramirez had 12 markers, three rebounds, and three assists.
Manila will face off against Imus-Buracai de Laiya next on Friday at 2:30 PM while Gen San will try to salvage its campaign against Bulacan on Saturday at 12:00 PM.
The Scores
Manila (75) – Lastimosa 14, Sara 11, Villanueva 11, Cruz 8, Bataller 7, Ambulodto 6, Importante 6, Mangahas 5, Dyke 4, Asuncion 2, Paraiso 1, Lopez 0
Gen San (65) – Anderson 15, Masaglang 13, Ramirez 12, Buenafe 7, Apreku 7, Raymundo 3, Ongteco 3, Mirza 2, Mondragon 2, Mag-isa 1, Pangilinan 0
Quarterscores: 13-13, 41-30, 62-39, 75-65
