Mindoro routs Sarangani for back-to-back MPBL victories

The Mindoro Tamaraws continued their climb in the 2026 Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) Season after overpowering the Sarangani 10ACT Marlins, 110-81, on Thursday at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City.

Powered by the solid outings of Bambam Gamalinda and Hanz Philip Maycong, the Tamaraws notched their second straight win to even their record at 7-7 in the round-robin elimination phase.

Gamalinda paced Mindoro with 20 points—all scored through the first three quarters—while adding three rebounds and two assists. Former Olivarez College standout Maycong backed him with 15 points, five rebounds, and three assists.

Brian Heruela turned in an all-around performance with 12 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and two steals, while John Apacible finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, and two assists. Jonas Tibayan also made his presence felt with nine points, three rebounds, and three assists.

The Tamaraws controlled the paint and the glass throughout the contest, outrebounding the Marlins, 52-39. Marion Magat grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds as Mindoro converted its dominance inside into a 54-38 advantage in points in the paint.

Sarangani opened the game with a 9-0 run, but Mindoro quickly settled down and took command. The Tamaraws grabbed a 20-16 lead by the end of the first quarter, stretched it to 48-33 at halftime, and steadily pulled away the rest of the way.

The loss was Sarangani's 12th in a row, dropping the Marlins to 1-13.

Carl Bryan Lacap led Sarangani with 16 points and three rebounds, while Danny Marilao contributed 15 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks. Larce Sunga added 14 points, three rebounds, and two assists in the losing effort.

The tournament resumes Friday at the Pasay Astrodome, with Valenzuela taking on Meycauayan-Marilao at 4 p.m., Abra facing Basilan at 6 p.m., and Pasay meeting Biñan at 8 p.m.