The Mindoro Tamaraws hit their stride in the third quarter and proceeded to subdue Manila Batang Quiapo, 109-96, on Saturday in the SportsPlus MPBL 2026 Season at the Batangas City Coliseum.
Unable to find their range, the Tamaraws trailed at the half, 50-40.
Bam Gamalinda and Jayjay Caspe, however, presided over a 12-point blast that pushed Mindoro ahead, 62-58, for good.
Gamalinda, showing fine form at 39 years old, finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists to clinch the SportsPlus best player honors over JC Recto, who pooled 21 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists, and Jayjay Caspe, with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists.
A Gamalinda triple decided the outcome, 95-77, for the Tamaraws, who drew inspiration from the presence of team owner and Pola Mayor Ina Jennifer Cruz.
Manila drew 30 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists from Mark Doligon, 13 points and 7 rebounds each from John Ashley Faa and Decoy Lopez, and 10 points each from Alfred Sedillo and Jan Baltazar.
The Bulacan Kuyas beat the Paranaque Patriots, 102-96, in the opener between last year’s tailenders.
The game was tied at 56 until Bulacan outgunned Paranaque, 12-2, with Benedict Benedictos capping the onslaught with a triple and a step back jumper, and held the lead till the end.
Bulacan, which ended the 2025 elimination round with a North Division-worst 3-26 record, drew double figures from six players, five of whom were homegrown icons.
Mico Dizon, from Calumpit, notched 21 points plus 6 rebounds, followed by SportsPlus best player Airohn Acop, from San Ildefonso, with 14 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks; Malolos’ Benedict Benedictos with 16 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals; Calumpit’s Kent Montalvo with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 2 assists; and Baliuag’s Jeremy Cruz with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists. Marj De Leon contributed 14 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals
Mindoro, Bulacan subdue SportsPlus MPBL rivals
