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| PBA |
By Ivan Saldajeno
QUEZON CITY--Star finished its PBA Philippine Cup elimination round campaign by clinching a spot in the next round with a 102-89 romping of Blackwater at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Friday night.
The Hotshots, who never trailed in the entire game, blitzed past the Elite in the fourth quarter to secure one of the remaining slots in the playoffs, which will begin right on Christmas night.
P.J. Simon tallied 26 points with five triples, one rebound, four assists, and one block to lead Star, which finished the preliminaries at 4-7.
Carlo Lastimosa made 18 markers, four boards, and one dime for Blackwater, whose playoff hope is now hanging on a balance after slipping to 2-8.
Box Scores:
Star 102-Simon 26, Maliksi 13, Pingris 12, Barroca 11, Mallari 11, Taha 8, Yap 6, Melton 4, Sangalang 4, Reavis 3, Cruz 2, Torres 2
Blackwater 89-Lastimosa 18, Dela Cruz 17, Gamalinda 11, Cortez 10, Erram 10, Cervantes 9, Golla 8, Reyes 6, Ballesteros 0, Canada 0, Melano 0
Quarterscores: 25-25, 52-42, 78-72, 102-89
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
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