MANILA, Philippines – Justine Baltazar produced a near-triple-double effort as Pampanga coasted to an 88-71 win over Quezon in Game 1 of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League National Finals at the Al Nasr Club’s Rashid Bin Hamdan Indoor Hall in Dubai, UAE, on Sunday, December 1.
On track for a second straight MVP award, Baltazar put up 24 points, 16 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals as the defending champion Giant Lanterns drew first blood in the best-of-five series.
Archie Concepcion backstopped Baltazar with 17 points and 3 rebounds, while Brandon Ramirez notched a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds for Pampanga, which still blew the Huskers out despite the early exit of Encho Serrano.
Serrano got ejected after catching Quezon star LJay Gonzales with an elbow to the jaw with under nine minutes left in the first half and the Giant Lanterns ahead 29-20.
Concepcion made up for the absence of Serrano, scattering 8 points in a 12-2 run that gave Pampanga a 47-32 lead late in the second quarter.
Back-to-back triples by Rodel Gravera and Judel Fuentes in an 8-2 blitz to start the third quarter pulled the Huskers within 43-49, but Ramirez, Concepcion, and Jeff Viernes conspired for 8 unanswered points that pushed the Pampanga lead to 57-43.
Rence Alcoriza also delivered for the Giant Lanterns with 9 points and 3 rebounds, Kurt Reyson had 8 points, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds, while MJ Garcia chimed in 5 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 rebounds.
Gravera proved to be the lone bright spot for Quezon with 20 points built on 5 triples, with no other Huskers player breaching double figures in scoring.
Fuentes tallied 8 points and 6 rebounds in the loss, while Alfrancis Tamsi posted 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.
The game marked the first time a Philippine-based league held a championship game on foreign soil.
Game 2 is set on Tuesday, December 3, at the same venue. – Rappler.com