 |
| Jervy Cruz had a near-flawless shooting game in Game 1 of the GenSan-Muntinlupa series. MPBL |
BATANGAS CITY--GenSan escaped a fightback from Muntinlupa in the fourth quarter to take a 79-70 win in Game 1 of their MPBL South Division first-round playoff series on Tuesday night at the Batangas City Sports Coliseum.
The third-seeded Warriors seemed to be on their way to walloping the sixth-seeded Cagers after opening a 28-point lead, but the latter suddenly caught fire in the final 10 minutes.
Down 54-26 early in the third quarter, Muntinlupa slowly crawled its way back into the game later in the quarter.
The team then went full throttle in the fourth period, trimming the gap to as low as six, 76-70, with 28 seconds left.
However, Nico Elorde shut the door on Muntinlupa after converting three straight free throws to seal GenSan's win.
Jervy Cruz made 16 points on 4-of-6 shooting including 3-of-4 on threes, five rebounds, and one assist, while John Wilson added 13 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, and three steals for the Warriors.
Dave Moralde made 12 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and one steal, Ian Melencio put up 11 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and three steals, and Ford Ruaya made 11 markers on a perfect 4-for-4 field goals, and five rebounds for the Cagers.
Due to the unavailability of the Lagao Gymnasium in General Santos, Game 2 of the round-of-16 affair will be played next Tuesday at the STRIKE Gymnasium in Bacoor.
Follow him on X: @IvanSaldajeno
.jpg)
