JUAN Gomez de Liaño anchored Marinerong Pilipino to a 74-66 win over Apex Fuel-San Sebastian to draw first blood in their 2022 PBA D-League Aspirants' Cup semifinals series Friday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Marinerong Pilipino vs San Sebastian Game 1 recap
The University of the Philippines guard flirted with a triple-double with his 16 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists as his imprint was all over the floor to help the Skippers take the 1-0 lead.
"We're happy sa mga players kasi na-execute namin ng maayos yung gameplan namin. Pero Game One pa lang ito and hopefully sa Game Two, maka-execute ulit kami," said coach Yong Garcia, with his eyes already locked in on a potential sweep on Sunday.
Gomez de Liaño sparked Marinerong Pilipino's 9-0 start as it built an early 21-8 lead.
Although Apex Fuel-San Sebastian made repeated rallies, it could only get to within five points in the second half as the Skippers made timely buckets to quash those uprisings.
Arvin Gamboa also played big with 15 points, five boards, two assists, and two blocks, Jollo Go poured 14 points, and Adrian Nocum had 12 points and seven rebounds.
Ichie Altamirano paced the top seed Golden Stags with 12 points, five rebounds, and two steals, as Ken Villapando and Tristan Felebrico had 11 each.
The Scores:
MARINERONG PILIPINO 74 -- Gomez de Liano 16, Gamboa 15, Go 14, Nocum 12, Soberano 7, Carino 6, Bonifacio 2, Manlangit 2, Garcia 0, Bonsubre 0, Pido 0.
APEX FUEL-SAN SEBASTIAN 66 -- Altamirano 12, Villapando 11, Felebrico 11, Sumoda 8, Calahat 7, Desoyo 7, Escobido 4, Shanoda 4, Are 2, Suico 0, Yambing 0, Garcia 0.
Quarters: 21-8, 39-31, 59-46, 74-66.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph