La Salle’s Baron edges Santiago, Fajardo for MVP
Michael DiGregorio showed why he was Blackwater’s prized catch in the off-season as he fired a career-high 22 points to help power the Elite to a 104-98 victory over the NLEX Road Warriors last night in the resumption of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
DiGregorio scored 12 points in the third quarter as Blackwater turned a slim 49-42 halftime lead into a commanding 86-68 advantage going into the payoff period.
The Road Warriors launched several rallies but the Elite held their ground to post their second win in eight games in the midseason tournament.
The relative of former NBA player Ernie DiGregorio displayed his knack for hitting the three-point shot, going 4-of-6 from that distance to provide the needed help for KG Canaleta and import Greg Smith.
Mahindra coach Leo Isaac was quick to praise DiGregorio, who was curiously left as a free agent by the Mahindra Floodbuster after the PBA Philippine Cup before finding a home with the Elite.
And DiGregorio is certainly making Mahindra pay for its decision. He is averaging 10 points per before establishing a personal career high in the league. “He found his place in our team,” said Blackwater coach Leo Isaac. “He’s becoming the player we want to be.”
Smith led Blackwater with 24 points and 18 rebounds, while Canaleta – traded to Blackwater by Globalport earlier this conference – also collected 24 points highlighted by five triples on 11 attempts.
In the second game, Meralco continued its winning ways despite a 17-day layoff by clobbering Phoenix, 81-66. The Bolts improved to 7-1 while the Fuel Masters fell to 3-5.
Smith 24, Canaleta 24, Digregorio 22,Cruz 9, Pinto 7, Pascual 6, Cervantes 4, Aguilar 4, Sena 2, Gamalinda 2, Sumang 0, Buenafe 0.
Alas 18, Al-Hussaini 17, Lastimosa 10, Taulava 10, Anthony 9, Chism 9, Khobuntin 8, Camson 5, Villanueva J. 4, Monfort 4, Soyud 3, Rios 1, Tiongson 0, Guinto 0, Baracael 0.
Quarters: 28-17; 49-42; 86-68; 104-98.
Amer 20, Newsome 19, Stepheson 15, Grey 8, Hodge 7, Caram 4, Hugnatan 3, Nabong 2, Chua 2, Daquioag 1, Dillinger 0, Faundo 0.
McKay 16, Baguio 10, Jazul 7, Borboran 6, Torres 6, Dehesa 5, W. Wilson 5, Alolino 4, Kramer 3, Intal 2, J. Wilson 2, Miranda 0, Lanete 0.
Quarters: 13-16; 34-29; 53-46; 81-66. The extra hours spent in the gym and the sacrifices she made finally paid off for Majoy Baron as La Salle’s middle hitter beat the league’s established stars to win the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in the UAAP women’s volleyball tournament. For her consistent showing, the 20-yearold Baron, a native of Tarlac, edged out teammate Kim Fajardo, veteran spiker Jaja Santiago of National University, and Ateneo hitter Michelle Morente for the league’s highest individual award. The formal ceremony will be held in Game 2 of their title series with the Ateneo Lady Eagles on Saturday. It was Baron’s second individual award after clinching the Best Blocker plum last year. She is the fifth La Salle player to win the MVP in the last 10 seasons, joining the great Manilla Santos (2009), Jacq Alarca (2011), Aby Maraño (2012 and 2013) and Ara Galang (2013). Though beaten for the coveted award, the 6-foot-5 Santiago, nevertheless, won three awards – Best Scorer, Best Spiker, and Best Blocker. Fajardo, on the other hand, will receive the Best Setter and Best Server awards of the season. University of the East’s Kathleen Faith Arado snared the Best Digger Award, La Salle’s libero Dawn Macandili won the Best Receiver trophy, and Jules Samonte pocketed the Rookie of the Year Award. There were no surprises in the men’s side as Ateneo’s Marck Espejo won the MVP award for the fourth straight time. He also bagged the Best Scorer and Best Spiker titles. Also to be honored are Far Eastern University’s John Paul Bugaoan (Best Blocker) and Rikko Marmeto (Best Receiver), National University’s Bryan Bagunas (Best Server) and Ricky Marcos (Best Digger), and Ateneo’s Ish Polvorosa (Best Setter) and Chumason Njigha (Rookie of the Year).