Marinero ousts Perpetual

Games Monday (Pasig City Sports Center) 2 p.m. – CEU vs Batangas-EAC 4 p.m. – Go for Gold-CSB vs AMA

Marinerong Pilipino eliminated Perpetual Help from playoff contention and boosted its bid for a Top 2 finish with a 78-66 victory yesterday in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

University of the East star Alvin Pasaol and former pro Gab Banal tallied 15 points apiece while former Ateneo standout Vince Tolentino and Billy Robles led the bench mob with 10 points each as the surging Skippers dominated the Altas in the second half.

It was the seventh straight victory and eight overall in 10 starts for Marinerong Pilipino, which forged a threeway tie with idle Centro Escolar University and Akari-Adamson on top of the 12-team field with a game to spare.

More important, the Skippers kept themselves in the hunt for an outright berth in the semifinals, something that veteran coach Koy Banal would welcome if things fall according to plan.

“Sa ngayon hindi na namin tinitignan ‘yung Top 2 kasi both teams beat us,” he said, aware that the Skippers will have the most inferior quotient in case of a triple-tie with the Scorpions and the Falcons at the end of the eliminations.

In the other match, Gamboa Coffee Mix-St. Clare regained its bearings just in time to pull off an 87-76 stunner over Wang’s Basketball and complete the six-team playoff cast.