By Adrian Stewart Co

Kraniel Villoria drilled a go-ahead basket as Bacolod BingoPlus cruised to a 71-70 victory over Pasig City in the 2022 Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) season on Saturday night, August 6, at the Bren Guiao Convention Center in Pampanga.

Down 70-69 following a basket by Pasig City’s Jun Manzo with 22 seconds left, Villoria responded with a close-range basket to surge Bacolod on top, 71-70, with 18 ticks remaining.

Pasig City still had a chance to tie the score after Bacolod’s Aaron Jeruta was called for a technical foul but Jason Melano missed his free throw while Manzo also fell short on his basket attempt.

Villoria finished the game with 16 points to go with five rebounds, two assists and a steal as the Bacolod BingoPlus recorded its second straight victory to improve to 7-4 win-loss slate.

Jhan McHale Nermal led the way for the Bacolodnons with 18 points and seven rebounds, Jeruta chipped in 12 markers, while Mark Yee missed a double-double with nine points and 12 rebounds.

After leading for most part of the match, the Bacolodnons found themselves down 61-66 with over five minutes left but a basket and a split free throw by Jeruta and a conversion from Yee tied the score at 66-all.

Bacolod notched the lead at 69-66 with another split freebie from Richard Albo and a conversion from Villoria but Pasig City snagged the lead at 70-69 on back-to-back baskets by Manzo.

“It was a good sign for the team to win two straight games after dropping two heartbreaking losses at home,” Bacolod team manager Leo Bat-og said. “We just have to be consistent in our remaining matches.”

Manzo ended the match with 18 points, Ryan Paule Costelo added 16 markers, while Melano had double-double 11 points, 13 rebounds and five assists as Pasig City dropped to 6-4.

The Bacolod BingoPlus will aim for its third consecutive victory when they return to action at nine in the evening on August 15 against the Pampanga Giant Lanterns at the same venue./ASC, WDJ