THE San Juan Knights Go for Gold AICC continued to flex their muscle in the MPBL Invitational, this time scoring a 91-72 rout of the Sarangani Marlins on Monday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Jason Melanoled San Juan with 14 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and two blocks, while Jhonard Clarito also got a double-double of 14 points and 10 boards off the bench as the Knights dominated the boards, 62 to 35.
Arvin Gamboa also had 12 points and seven rebounds, while Rhenz Abando got all of his 10 points from the free-throw line to go with five boards, four blocks, and two steals in his debut for San Juan, which improved to 2-0 in Group C.
"Number one is our defense plus na-execute namin yung offense," said coach Randy Alcantara. "Yung mga beterano na leaders namin, napu-push talaga yung mga bata na alam mo yung pag sinabing San Juan basketball, talagang dapat dikdikin mo sa depensa. Yung offense mo darating yan at wag mo hanapin."
Realtors open on high note
Gabby Espinas led the winless Sarangani (0-2) with 14 points, eight rebounds, and three assists, as Marvin Lee and Macky Acosta both scored 14 each.
The Pasig-Sta. Lucia Realtors also matched the hype with a 31-point drubbing, 90-69, of the Iloilo United Royals.
Fran Yu ignited a 19-6 fourth-quarter run to help Pasig erect an 88-65 lead and cruise to the easy first win. The NCAA Finals MVP finished with 11 points, five assists, and three rebounds as the Realtors went 1-0 in Group A.
Ryan Costelo fired a team-best 15 points off the bench, on top of five boards and two assists; Justin Arana registered 14 points and nine boards, and Cedrick Ablaza notched 13 points for Pasig.
Iloilo, meanwhile, fell to 1-1 despite Levi Hernandez' 14 points and three rebounds and Aaron Jeruta's 12 points and four boards.
Manila Stars also bounced back with a brutal 30-point mauling of Emkai-Rizal Xentromall Golden Coolers, 89-59.
Dan Sara set the tone for the rout, scoring eight of his 16 points in the first quarter to erect a 24-11 lead. The lead reached a high of 34 at 88-54.
Brent Paraiso also fired eight of his 13 in that opening frame, John Rey Villanueva contributed 14 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals, and Mark Neil Cruz got a double-double with his 12 points and 13 boards for Manila, which grabbed a share of Group D lead at 1-1.
Laurenz Victoria scored 13 points for Rizal (1-1) in the loss.
The Bacoor City Strikers also chalked up their first win, taking down Caloocan Excellence, 72-50.
Jerome Garcia got hot early and poured in 19 of his 26 points in the first half to set the tone for the 22-point blowout.
Richard Albo added a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds in a game where Bacoor City enjoyed a 35-point lead, 65-30, early in the fourth period.
Pao Javillonar dropped 17 points and 14 rebounds as Caloocan opened its campaign with a loss.
In the nightcap, Marikina Shoe City gutted out a 79-73 squeaker over Laguna Krah Asia Heroes for its first win in Group B.
Kyle Tolentino came through for Marikina with 24 points, nine rebounds, and three assists to deliver the win for the squad and his father Elvis Tolentino.
Ato Ular also dropped a double-double of 16 points and 12 boards for the Shoe City, which saw their 11-point lead trimmed down to just four, 77-73 with 1:23 left, before Ular's cleanup job on Joshua Gonzales' miss iced the game for good.
MJ Dela Virgen led the winless Laguna (0-2) with 17 points, seven rebounds, and three assists.
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