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Marinerong Pilipino came out of the gates on fire, crushing Jose Rizal University, 84-62, Monday in the 2018 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup at JCSGO Gym in Cubao.
Alvin Pasaol poured in all of his nine points in the first half as the Skippers started the game out on a 10-0 blast that set the tone for the rest of the game.
Abu Tratter also had his best game to date with 16 markers and six rebounds, Gab Banal got 11 points, five assists, and four boards, while Renzo Subido chimed in 11 of his own.
The dominant win delivered Marinerong Pilipino’s fifth straight victory and pushed its record to 6-2, keeping it in fight for the top two spots, but coach Koy Banal continued to preach to his wards to stay the course.
“We haven’t achieved anything yet. It’s always a reminder to all of us and we know where we want to go: we want to go forward,” he said.
“We want to be in the top two, to be in the semis outright. But the important thing here is we need to take care of ourselves and not relax. We want to be better every game.”
Ervin Grospe tallied 16 points and three rebounds to lead the fight for cellar-dwelling JRU, which has now lost seven straight games to fall to 1-7.
The scores:
MARINERONG PILIPINO 84 — Tratter 16, Banal 11, Subido 11, Pasaol 9, Olivares 8, Robles 8, Toth 6, Ayonayon 5, Eboña 4, Babilonia 2, Iñigo 2, Lopez 2, Terso 0, Tolentino 0.
JRU 62 — Grospe 16, Guzman 14, Mendoza 14, Dela Virgen 8, Porter 6, Apinan 2, Sawat 2, Bordon 0, Esguerra 0, Pontejos 0, Silvarez 0, Yu 0.
Quarters: 23-11, 44-34, 68-55, 84-62.