Gab Dagangon gained his team’s ‘Player of the Game’ title after performing with 15 points, but the contribution was distributed evenly after that by Robby Celiz, Yvan Ludovice, Alfred Ryan Batino, John Byron Villarias, Charles Barkley Ebona, and Gary David, all providing five points. While the starters tallied 31 points, bench scoring totalled to 36. For the Cagers, Chito Jaime and Dave Moralde both provided double digits, scoring 16 and 12 points respectively, but it was not enough to keep Team Muntinlupa from experiencing their third loss in a row.
According to Bataan head coach Jojo Lastimosa, holding onto the top spot is crucial during playoffs, saying, “If we get the No.1 spot, we’ll be having home court advantage in reach round in the playoffs. We want to win our remaining games as we want to carry the momentum all the way to the playoffs.” In order to clinch to that top seed, Bataan needs to secure three more wins.
On the same day, the Laguna Krah Heroes faced Team Valenzuela Classic in the same venue, where Laguna overcame Valenzuela, 74-66. Ralph Olivarez was the player of the game with a career-high 20 points, along with seven rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks, but teammate Raymond Ilagan also performed well with a double-double, contributing 15 points and 17 rebounds. Through their win, Laguna gained the eighth spot in their division, while Valenzuela fell to the 11th spot with an 8-14 record.
The next time Bataan has the chance to gain another victory is against the Mandaluyong El Tigre at the Valenzuela Astrodome on February 12, while Muntinlupa has a game against the Pasig Pirates at their homecourt on February 7. Valenzuela’s next game is also on February 12 against the Bulacan Kuyas, while Laguna is playing the day before against Caloocan at the Filoil Flying V Centre.