In the OKBet-MPBL Fifth Season Visayas Invasion, which took place on Monday at the City of Passi Arena in Iloilo, General Santos City beat Zamboanga Family’s Brand Sardines 74-71.
Early in the fourth quarter, Zamboanga was behind by as much as 25-45, but Chris Dumapig’s six straight points with 47 seconds left gave them hope at 69-71.
But with 30 seconds left, Kyt Jimenez scored under the basket and fell hard after Dumapig made an unsportsmanlike hit. This gave GenSan a chance to catch its breath and helped the team win its 16th game out of five.
With 13 seconds left, JV Marcelino of Zamboanga drove in the winning run, and John Wilson of GenSan split his two free throws for the winning score. This made the Zamboanguenos’ record 15-6, while GenSan’s record went to 15-7.
Made in the area, Cris Masaglang had 14 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals to lead GenSan. Jervy Cruz added 12 points and nine rebounds; Christian Fajarito had 11 points, five assists, and three rebounds; and Larry Rodriguez added 10 points and eight rebounds.
Jimenez ended the game with 6 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, which is a very rare quadruple-double.
Judel Fuentes helped Zamboanga win with 19 points, 14 assists, and 7 boards. He also had four assists.
With the help of Masaglang and Cruz, who each scored 10 points, the team quickly built a 41-25 lead at halftime.
