"JETTSANITY" REVIVED | Vidal sizzles as Pasay pips Laguna

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA—Jett Vidal came out firing on Monday night to lift Pasay to a come-from-behind 76-72 win against Laguna in the MPBL Datu Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay.

In a performance reminiscent of his "Jettsanity" days with Perpetual Help in the NCAA, Vidal fired six triples for all of his 18 points as he helped the Voyagers come alive in the second half to pull the much-needed home win.

Down 31-38 at halftime, Pasay opened the second half with four consecutive triples, two from Vidal and two more from Jason Opiso to go up 43-40.

However, Laguna regained control and eventually took a 59-55 lead to the fourth period.

The Voyagers then opened the fourth with a 20-5 run to go up, 75-64, with 3:44 remaining.

The Heroes still put up a fight with an 8-0 run made by Michael Mabulac and Rex Leynes that cut the lead down to three, 75-72, with 23.7 seconds to play.

They even had a huge chance to force a tie when Denok Miranda took the ball from an intended Opiso pass and found Paolo Pontejos wide open for three, but Pontejos' attempt only rimmed out and AJ Vitug iced the game with a split from the foul line in the next play.

Vidal also had two assists and two steals in the all-important win that snapped Pasay's six-game slide as the team is now just one game behind Caloocan for eighth place in the Northern Division at 7-14 with four games left in its schedule.

Opiso added 16 points on three triples, seven rebounds, and one block, while Jan Jamon, who also sizzled in the second half, contributed 15 points and four rebounds.

Mabulac's 29-point, 17-rebound, and two-block showing hardly mattered for the now 9-12 Laguna, which despite staying in eighth place in the Southern Division is now in a virtual tie with surging Zamboanga and Parañaque (8-11).

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