Games today:
Mandaue Complex
4 p.m. – Laguna vs. Misamis Oriental
6 p.m. – Mandaue vs. MLKP-Cebu
The Mandaue-Cebu Landmasters/RDAK defeated the Laguna Golden Lions, 66-51, at the start of the 4th leg of the Liga Pilipinas late Wednesday night at the Mandaue City Cultural and Sports Complex.
The Landmasters, the 2nd leg champions, utilized a searing start and a gritty endgame finish to defeat the recent 3rd leg champions Golden Lions and keep their clean record in this tournament intact.
Axel Doruelo led Mandaue with 14 points, three steals, three assists and three rebounds while Marlon Basco added 13 markers.
Glenn Bolocon tallied 12 to pace Laguna while Robert Sanz contributed 11.
Mandaue zoomed ahead, 21-8, after the opening 10 minutes of action behind the strong play of Doruelo, Harold Sta. Cruz and Mark Magsumbol.
A 13-1 blast at the end of the second period punctuated by a long two-pointer by Basco extended Mandaue’s lead to 21 at halftime. The lead ballooned to 22 at the start of the third before the Lions tried to stage a daring comeback.
Bolocon, the MVP of the third leg, scored nine in the third period to trim the deficit down to 14 heading to the final period. They carried their momentum over to the fourth period, where repeated forays into the paint by the Lions proved fruitful. A three-pointer by Marlon Legaspi allowed Laguna to come within four, 48-52, with 5:56 left in the game.
But Mandaue uncorked a 10-0 blast that all but sealed the game’s outcome in their favor.
The Landmasters were battling the Misamis Oriental Meteors as of press time in a game of the two first-day winners.
The Meteors upset reigning national champions M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu Niños, 72-69, in the first game of that opening salvo.
The Niños led for most of the way but could not contain the dynamic duo of Karl Bono and Egay Billones down the stretch.
Bono, a former MVP of the UAAP, tallied a game-high 27 points and also had eight rebounds and three blocks.