ALCANTARA — Mandaue tightened its defense in the final quarter to pull away for a 66-46 win over the Siquijor Mystics in the Visayas leg of the 2021 Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas VisMin Cup at the Civic Center on Friday.
Mandaue led by 20 points early but saw the lead dwindle to five, 42-37, late in the third quarter. However, Mandaue held the Mystics to five points in the final quarter to put away the win.
Far Eastern University products Gryann Mendoza and Al Francis Tamsi led Mandaue with 17 and 12 points, respectively.
Mandaue head coach Mike Reyes said they had a lot of trouble with Siquijor’s veteran players.
“Minamama kami lahat eh,” said Reyes. “Nagkakamali kami sa defense but we adjusted and ginawa nila ang dapat gawin. The right helpers came and we started fronting the post and that’s when we were able to pull away."
Miguel Castellano was the lone player to score in double-figures for Siquijor with 14 points to go with eight boards and two assists.
Team skipper and former Ateneo star Ryan Buenafe was held scoreless in more than eight minutes of action.
The scores:
Mandaue (66) - Mendoza 17, Tamsi 12, Octobre 9, Delator 6, Soliva 4, Solera 4, Mercader 3, Roncal 3, Imperial 3, Bregondo 3, Bonganciso 2, Cachuela 0, Exciminiano 0, Nalos 0, Castro 0
Siquijor (46) - Castellano 14, Peñaflor 8, Rodriguez 6, Aspiras 5, J. Buenafe 3, Belleza 3, Alcober 3, Quiro 2, Gooc 2, R. Buenafe 0, Tangcay 0, Sereño 0, Calomot 0
Quarterscores: 17-7, 34-20, 48-41, 66-46
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