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| One thousand-one points and counting for Balti. MPBL |
MANILA—Balti Baltazar achieved one major milestone in the MPBL as Pampanga clawed Abra, 79-64, in Game 1 of their North Division quarterfinal affair on Tuesday night at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in San Fernando City, Pampanga.
Baltazar led the Giant Lanterns with monster numbers of 24 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists, and two blocks.
His 24 markers in the contest hiked his total MPBL points to 1,001, making him the newest member of the league's elite 1,000 Points Club.
Baltazar got his milestone membership through a layup with 1:14 left in the game where Pampanga, down 11-21 early in the second quarter to the shock of the home crowd, finished the quarter on a 29-5 run to pull away from Abra.
Baltazar, who played briefly for San Juan in 2019, was the fastest to hit 1,000 points in the MPBL.
The six-foot-seven forward, currently averaging a team-high 15.4 points per game for the Giant Lanterns, did so near the tail end of his second and what could be his last full season in the league before finally joining Converge in the PBA.
Archie Concepcion added 12 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals for Pampanga, which can close out the series against gritty Abra next Tuesday at the Nueva Ecija Coliseum in Palayan.
Ino Comboy put up 20 markers and four rebounds for the Weavers, who lost steam since Neil Tolentino, who played for the Giant Lanterns during their title run last season, was called for an unsportsmanlike foul midway through the second period.
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