CONFERENCE Most Valuable Player frontrunner, who had been scoreless throughout the whole game, scored six of the Skippers’ final ten points, including the decisive basket off a drive with 13.9 seconds left that gave his team a 68-64 advantage after two possessions.

In Game One of the 2022 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup Finals on Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, Marinerong Pilipino overcame EcoOil-La Salle by a score of 72-67 thanks to a crucial basket from Juan Gomez de Liano.

With a three-pointer during the subsequent possession, Evan Nelle kept the Green Archers in the game. However, Jollo Go and Arvin Gamboa secured the victory at the free throw line.

Gomez de Liano, who only had nine points but also had 14 rebounds, seven assists, and four steals, remarked that he did everything. Tastefully saying “We just followed our team mindset and we prepared so hard for this game.”

For Marinerong Pilipino, Adrian Nocum led the way with 22 points, five rebounds, and three assists; Go added 15 points, eight rebounds, and three assists on three triples; while Gamboa contributed 14 points and six rebounds.

Nocum then says, “Good start kaming lahat, inumpisahan namin sa magandang depensa at nag-execute kami ng mga play kaya nakuha namin ‘yung panalo.”

(We all started well, we started with a good defense and we executed plays so we got the win.)

After settling for second place against BRT Sumisip Basilan-St, the Skippers have a chance to win it all in Game Two on Wednesday at the same location. Clare in the Foundation Cup for 2019. 

EcoOil-La Salle’s Schonny Winston led the team with 21 points, but he was only able to score two in the payout period.

Kevin Quiambao also had a difficult time during the game, finishing with just nine points, six rebounds, and three assists on 3-of-14 field goal attempts. 

CJ Austria scored a total of 15 points in the defeat, which saw the Green Archers’ comeback attempt fall short after they fell behind by as much as 12 points early.

Results of the match

Marinerong Pilipino with 72 

Individual scores – Nocum 22, Go 15, Gamboa 14, Gomez de Liano 9, Bonifacio 5, Pido 4, Manlangit 3, Carino 0, Soberano 0, Hernandez 0, Garcia 0.

EcoOil-La Salle with 67

Individual scores – Winston 21, Austria 15, Quiambao 9, Nelle 8, M. Phillips 7, Estacio 4, B. Phillips 3, Manuel 0, Cortez 0, Escandor 0, Buensalida 0.

Match scores per quarter: 21-12, 33-23, 51-52, 72-67.

Just a few days earlier Juand GDL had already taken the Marineros closer to being the champs.

By leading Marinerong Pilipino to a tough 69-64 Game Three victory over APEX Fuel-San Sebastian on Wednesday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, Juan Gomez de Liao propelled his team to the 2022 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup Finals. 

In the final 3:01 of the game, the cunning former import from Tokyo Z scored eight points, including back-to-back three-pointers off isolation sets. With 52.4 seconds left, he hit the extra layup to give his team a 66-62 lead. 

After that, Arvin Gamboa sealed the victory by scoring the final three points, including the game-winning shot from beneath with 12.5 seconds remaining. 

The Skippers made their second appearance in the Finals. Gomez de Liaño, who led Marinero with 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in the clincher says, “It was really all about our team mindset.”

GDL who is known to be a well bred product of UP says, “We just had the right mindset coming into this do-or-die game.” This is the perfect mindset of one who currently runs for the league MVP. For Marinerong Pilipino, who lost to BRT Sumisip – St. Clare in the 2019 Foundation Cup final, this will be a chance to avenge that defeat.

Off the bench, AC Soberano scored 14 points on two 3-pointers, while Jollo Go contributed 11 points for Marinerong Pilipino. Beginning on Sunday in the Big Dome, it will play EcoOil-La Salle in the best-of-three championship series. 

Romel Calahat, on the other hand, put up 19 points and pulled down nine rebounds to carry the Golden Stags, the top seed, through the defeat.

This previous match ended with these results

Marinerong Pilipino with 69

Individual scores – Gomez de Liano 23, Soberano 14, Go 11, Bonifacio 7, Carino 6, Nocum 4, Gamboa 3, Manlangit 1, Pido 0, Bonsubre 0, Agustin 0.

Apex Fuel-San Sebastian with 64

Individual scores – Calahat 19, Sumoda 15, Villapando 12, Desoyo 6, Felebrico 6, Altamirano 3, Escobido 3, Are 0, Yambing 0, Shanoda 0, Cosari 0, Una 0.

Match scores per quarter: 7-11, 25-26, 44-43, 69-64.