Mindoro rode on the heads-up plays of Karl Bono, Andres Desiderio and John Jerrick Caspe to stun Pasay, 96-88, on Saturday in the MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) Sixth Season elimination round at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City.
Flashing the form that made him the 2006 UAAP MVP, the burly 6-foot-5 Bono posted 25 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists to earn best player honors and power the Tamaraws to their fourth win against six losses.
Desiderio, a former University of the Philippines Maroon, notched 21 points, 6 rebounds plus 4 assists, while local find Caspe tallied 21 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists.
Together, they got the better of Pasay counterparts Patgrick Sleat, Laurenz Victoria and Warren Bonifacio.
Sleat fired a team-high 29 points to go with 3 points, 3 assists and 3 steals; Victoria poured 18 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, while Bonifacio chalked 15 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists for the Voyagers, who skidded to 5-4.
Rebounding from a humbling 95-65 drubbing dealt them by the San Juan Knights on May 21, the Tamaraws surged ahead, 96-83, before easing up on defense.
Mindoro also got 9 points from veteran Tey Teodoro, all from triples.
The MPBL returns to the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center on Monday, May 27. The games pit South Cotabato against Bicol at 4 p.m., San Juan against Negros at 6 p.m. and Paranaque against Pampanga at 8 p.m.
