Batangas City—The Batangas City Athletics and the Makati Skyscrapers sustain their rise in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Datu Cup on Tuesday.
The Athletics canned six triples, three from Jeff Viernes, in the fourth quarter, to down the San Juan Knights, 85-76, while the Skyscrapers foiled the repeated rallies of the Bulacan Kuyas to prevail, 99-94, at the Batangas City Coliseum.
The Tanduay-backed Athletics, bolstered by the return of Kier Quinto, who played for the Letran Knights in the NCAA, posted their third straight win and climbed to 7-6 as they flashed the same form that made them the MPBL Rajah Cup champions.
The Go-for Gold-supported Knights dropped to 10-3.
Viernes topscored with 21 points while Quinto chipped in 16 points in his first game for the Athletics in the Datu Cup. With Jhaymo Eguilos and Dennice Villamor snaring 10 rebounds each, the Athletics pounded the Knights off both boards, 53-43.
Drawing firepower from Rudy Lingganay, Cedric Ablaza and Jeckster Apinan, the Skyscrapers protected a 5-point lead midway of the fourth quarter up to the final buzzer to climb to 8-4, overtaking the Kuyas, being supported by Mighty Sports of Ceasar Chongwuking, at 8-5.
Lingganay topscored with 19 points, Ablaza added 18 points and 11 rebounds while Apinan had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Skyscrapers.