MANILA, Philippines – The San Miguel Alab Pilipinas, resuscitated following a devastating defeat in ABL Season 9, regained new grounds, beating Singapore Slingers, 80-70 on Sunday, March 3.
The defending champions pulled further away with a 17-4 slate while the Slingers maintained a flimsy hold of 3rd place at 13-8, reported Rappler.
Alab’s import duo proved vital play in the match with Singapore, with Renaldo Balkman putting in 28 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, even as the hulking 7-foot-3 big man PJ Ramos dropped a 22-marker, 17-board double-double with 4 blocks to boot, the report said.
It was all a tit-for-tat fight up until midway through the 3rd quarter, when Alab did a spectacular 13-3 run to go up 11 points, 63-52, after a Law Domingo layup at the 2:13 mark. They would then lead as high as 12 after a Josh Urbiztondo lay-in with 46 ticks left in the frame.
Singapore did a failed effort to victory but 5 points was all they got to put it, 66-71 early in the 4th as Alab successfully held the Slingers scoreless for the next 5 minutes.
The champs eventually got back up to 11 points, 77-66, after a Ramos layup with 2:24 left in regulation, said the report. (File photo by Rappler)