MANILA, Philippines - Boxing icon and team owner Manny Pacquiao scored only four points but they were enough to inspire the MP Pacman GenSan Warriors to a 73-69 victory over Treston-Laguna at the start of the second leg of the Tournament of the Philippines (TOP) at the Lagao gym in Gen. Santos City Wednesday.
The Warriors used a stifling defense to outlast the Stallions and move within a win from clinching a finals berth in the short elimination round of the tournament jointly organized by the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) and Liga Pilipinas.
Cobra Energy Drink nipped Misamis Oriental, 70-69, in the other contest.
Pacquiao perked up the crowd when he started out for the host squad. But the pound for pound king struggled for only two baskets out of 12 tries in 14 minutes of action.
Still, his presence was enough to entertain the big crowd.
Meanwhile, both winners were playing at press time, each one hoping to move closer to a spot in the leg finals.
John Gonzaga also starred for GenSan, firing 10 of his game-high 20 points in the final quarter. The Warriors held the Stallions to just three points or a single field goal in the final five minutes to secure the win.
Elmer Espiritu and Rudy Lingganay combined to lead Cobra back from two nine-point deficits to stun the Meteors, the runner-up of the Liga Pilipinas Conference III.