Recap

BOMBERS SHOT DOWN by TEAM TIGAS

This game started as a preview of what the playoffs will be when these two teams face each other. Round 1 goes to Team Tigas with a resounding victory of 52-48.

Both teams started very slow but the Soju Bombers failed to capitalize. Dillon Pineda started the first half hot with 12 points but was shut down in the second half and hobbled with a bad ankle later on. Meanwhile Cyrel Legaspi and Gabe Gaw struggled in this game as they could not find their range and finished with 8 and 4 points, respectively. Jacob Liwanag continued his solid performance with 10 points and Ahwin Adricula provided the spark plug needed by the team in the second half with timely passes and shots. Adam Cabanas had his debut and finished with 3 points and 4 rebounds. Paolo Olea and Joel Recinto was also solid on both ends of the court.

Team Tigas continued to show their firepower even though Aaron Cua (9 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assists) was not shooting much this game. Michael Humphrey had very good box score of 18 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assists, and 1 steal but the biggest takeaway from him was how he led the defense on shutting down Dillon Pineda who put in 12 points in the second half. CJ Pineda also had a solid outing and got the shots needed to pull away. Kurt Malana finished with 5 points and 5 rebounds. Paul Echaore had a solid rebounding game with 9 rebounds while Andrei Malacapay finished with 8 points. Eddie Sera and Angelo Dela Cruz were solid on defense and provided the spark from the bench.

Will the MOAB ever be deployed by the bombers? Can Team Tigas sustain this momentum?