By JEROME LAGUNZAD
Games Today
(Caloocan Sports Complex)
7 p.m. – Parañaque vs Muntinlupa
9 p.m. – Valenzuela vs Caloocan
Living up to their lofty billings, title favorite Bulacan and Quezon City handled their respective rivals with ease on Tuesday night to gain a share of the early lead in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Anta Rajah Cup.
The Kuyas, the pre-season champions, worked behind a 17-0 run bridging the middle quarters to pull away from visiting Imus Bandera and score an impressive 93-79 victory at the Bulacan Capitol Gymnasium.
John Gonzales finished with 26 points while former San Beda stalwart Jay-R Taganas banged in a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds for host Bulacan, which turned a 31-33 deficit into a big 15-point edge midway in the third canto.
Former pro league star Marlou Aquino also made his presence felt for the Kuyas, tallying four points – all from the charity stripe – while adding one rebound and an assist in eight minutes of action off the bench.
Not to be outdone were the Capitals, who displayed a fluid attack and a sustained defensive pressure in defeating the Gary David-bannered Bataan Defenders, 87-69.
Former Mapua standout Andoy Estrella posted the league’s first triple-double performance with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for Quezon City which led by as many as 19 points in the first half and did enough to hold off Bataan’s rally in the crunch.
The 6-foot-2 David, a four-time PBA scoring champion, overcame a poor shooting performance as he finished with 21 points, nine of them coming in the third period where he teamed up with James Castro in the Defenders’ fightback.
Scores:
QUEZON CITY 87 — Collado 18, Barua 12, Santos J. 11, Estrella 11, Gabo 10, Tayongtong 8, Abrigo 6, Mallari 4, Matias 4, Alday 3, Morillo 0, Cabangon 0, Castellano 0, Santos C. 0, Palma 0.
BATAAN 69 — David 21, Castro 17, Penaflor 10, Bangal 6, Bringas 6, Carlos 5, Macalinao 2, Lacsamana 2, Capuli C. 0, Capuli J. 0, Ebidag 0, Espuelas 0, Ignacio 0, Magno 0, Misa 0.
Quarters: 20-14; 44-25; 66-54, 87-69.
BULACAN 93 — Gonzales 26, Taganas 13, Escosio 11, Dela Cruz 10, Monte 8, Villanueva 6, Baluyot 6, Aquino 4, Siruma 4, Martinez 3, Morcozo 2.
IMUS 79 — Melencio 13, Rabe 13, Daroya 10, Saitanan 9, Cabahug 8, Guiyab 6, Sarao 4, Monzon 4, Ong 4, Rivera 3, Asis 3, Diwa 2, Daguplo 0, Tajonera 0.
Quarters: 18-14; 37-33; 65-46; 93-79.