Nueva Ecija showed why they are one of the favorites in the Chooks-to-Go Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Invitational, securing a 99-92 win over Sarangani on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
At the same time, head coach Carlo Tan expressed disappointment with their defensive performance. He shares, post-match, "I feel the players played not so good in general but offensively, we were really good,. There are some things that we need to clean up defensively."
Tan also adds, "We really had 10 days to work with this team. It's still a work in progress."
The Rice Vanguards flaunted their depth in this one, with the trio of Michael Mabulac, JP Sarao, and Byron Villarias anchoring the offense in the first three quarters, with Roi Sumang, Renz Palma, and Diego Dario chipping in late to preserve the victory.
Mabulac finished with seventeen points and six rebounds, with Sarao adding fifteen and five. Villarias added four triples on his way to fourteen points, while Sumang netted eight points, three rebounds, five assists, and a couple of steals.
Macky Acosta led the Marlins in scoring with seventeen points, with Marvin Lee adding fifteen markers and also contributing six rebounds, four assists, and a steal. Paul Sanga and Gabby Espinas combined for 24 points as well for Sarangani, who shot 47% from the field in this matchup.
The win puts Nueva Ecija alongside San Juan atop Pool C, with Sarangani joins Val City at the bottom.
The Marlins face off against the Knights tomorrow, with the Nueva Ecija having a little bit of a break before facing Val City on Thursday.
The Scores:
Nueva Ecija 99 - Mabulac 17, Sarao 15, Villarias 14, Gutang 10, Bitoon 10, Gozum 8, Sumang 8, Palma 8, Dario 6, Balucanag 3, Belgica 0.
Sarangani 92 - Acosta 17, Lee, 15, Sanga 13, Espinas 11, Sarangay 9, Marilao 8, Munsayac 7, Basibas 4, Monteclaro 3, Bautista 3, Ludovice 2, Sta. Ana 0.
Quarterscores: 22-13, 49-38, 75-65, 99-92.
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