DEFENDING champion Pampanga flexed its muscle by battering Bulacan, 124-81, on Saturday in the MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) Sixth Season at the Calasiao Sports Complex in Pangasinan.
With seven Giant Lanterns piling twin-digits, Pampanga zoomed beyond reach, 118-72, before posting its 13th straight win after an initial loss in the round-robin eliminations of the 29-team tournament.
Kurt Reyson submitted a triple-double of 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists to go with four steals, as Archie Concepcion was right there with him with 19 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists.
Other Giant Lanterns who shone were Jeff Viernes with 18 points, seven rebounds, and three steals; homegrown Ronan Santos with 15 points and six rebounds; Jhaymo Eguilos with 10 points, five rebounds, two assists, plus two blocks; and Lervin Flores with 10 points, nine rebounds, and four assists.
No Balti, no problem for Pampanga
Although Pampanga was missing the services of 6-foot-8 Justine Baltazar and 6-6 Allen Liwag, it still dominated the boards, 67-41, and expectedly outscored the Kuyas inside the paint, 64-28.
With Reyson hitting 5-of-9 attempts and Concepcion making 3-of-5, the Giant Lanterns also owned the arc where they shot an impressive 14-of-27 (51.9 percent) in all.
Bulacan, which dropped to 2-12, got 19 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals from Jason Celis; 17 points and four rebounds from Jan Baltazar; 10 points, five rebounds, plus three assists from Eric Jabel, and nine points plus 11 rebounds from John Cayno Carandang.
The MPBL returns to the Batangas City Coliseum on Monday with Pasay battling Manila at 4 p.m., Davao facing Abra at 6 p.m., and Valenzuela clashing with Batangas at 8 p.m.
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