LJay Gonzales delivered the killer blows as the Quezon Huskers bested the Batangas Tanduay Rum Masters, 65-60, on Thursday to cinch the South Division crown of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) at the packed Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City.
Reprising his Game Two heroics, Gonzales scored the Huskers’ last 13 points that handed Quezon a 2-1 victory in the best-of-three series and a trip to Dubai for the National Finals against North Division champion Pampanga.
Batangas was ahead, 55-52, when Gonzales bunched 10 points, sandwiched by two triples, that pushed Quezon ahead, 62-55, with 93 seconds remaining.
Jong Baloria, Kris Porter and Cedrick Ablaza responded for Batangas to trim the lead to two, 60-62, with 30 seconds to go, but Jason Opiso found Gonzales open for the breakaway drive that virtually sealed the outcome.
After sorry misses by Batangas, the 5-foot-11 Gonzales, a former star of the Far Eastern University Tamaraws, then split two charities with 7 ticks left to cap his heroics.
Inspired by the presence of family members, who travelled all the way from Isabela to watch the game, Gonzales wound up with 22 points, eight rebounds and four steals.
Judel Fuentes bounced back from a horrific shooting night with 14 points and five rebounds, while Opiso and Gab Banal added 12 and 11 respectively.
Ablaza led Batangas with 16 points while Baloria added 14.
The Rum Masters were hampered by their inability to convert their free throws, sinking just 19 of 39 attempts for 48.7 percent. In contrast, the Huskers made 9 of 10 charities for 90 percent.
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