THE GenSan Warriors will march to the MPBL semifinals after taking down Muntinlupa Cagers, 85-78, in the MPBL do-or-die matchup at Paco Arena on Tuesday.
GenSan Warriors vs Muntinlupa Cagers MPBL quarterfinal recap
Nico Elorde nailed two-for-two at the charity stripe sending the Warriors to the south semifinals matchup where they face Batangas City Embassy Chill, who ranks second in the south division.
Up nine, 80-71, Mark Cruz adds to the woes of Muntinlupa as he shot a three-pointer at 48-second mark to put them up by 12, 83-71.
Late baskets from a retaliation three courtesy of Val Acuna, and contributed baskets from Ian Melencio, Dave Moralde, and John Amores were not enough to cut Muntinlupa’s deficit.
In the last 8:45 minutes of the game, Reneford Ruaya picked up a disqualifying foul after clotheslining Kyt Jimenez sending him back to the dugout.
The game was halted at the 5:29-minute mark of the third frame to recognize Moralde as the new member of the 1,000-point club in the MPBL after a layup. He is the 28th MPBL player to be part of the point club.
John Wilson led General Santos with 22 points, six rebounds, and two assists, while Hafer Mondragon finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, and one assist.
Amores scored 17 points, five rebounds, and two assists for Muntinlupa, while John Paul Sarao scored a double-double 15 points, 14 rebounds, and three assists.
GenSan will set up a semifinals matchup against Batangas City in the south division at Bacoor Strike Gymnasium in Cavite on October 28 at 6 p.m.
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