2 days ago
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MANILA, Philippines — Afril Bernardino and Andrea Tongco delivered record-setting performances to steer Philippine Navy into the quarterfinals, overwhelming Centro Escolar University, 93-52, in the 2025 Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (WMPBL) Invitational Tournament, Wednesday at the Enderun Gym.
Bernardino recorded the league’s first-ever triple-double and set the highest single-game steals mark; while Tongco drained the most 3-pointers in a single match for the Lady Sailors, who finished Pool B with a 6-1 record.
Bernardino delivered 26 points on an ultra-efficient 11-of-12 shooting, along with 15 rebounds and 10 steals; while the Tongco caught fire from beyond the arc, draining 10 3-pointers en route to a game-high 30 points in the Invitational tournament backed by Manny Pacquiao, Sen. Francis Tolentino and the MPBL Party-list.
“Ang sarap sa feeling na lahat ng teammates ko sumusuporta. (Salamat) sa lahat, especially sa mga coaches ko, kasi nagtiwala sila sa akin kahit hindi ako masyadong nakakapag-training,” said Tongco, who hit the record-setting, one-legged 3-pointer with 3.9 ticks left in the match.
“Wala namang nabago, sinusunod lang namin ‘yung pinapagawa ng coaches namin,” she added, as she also finished with eight assists, five rebounds and two steals.
Navy’s 33-point outburst in the second quarter, where they limited CEU to just four points, spelled the difference in the match, preventing any comeback attempts from the Lady Scorpions in the succeeding periods.
Gemma Miranda added 12 points and nine rebounds in the Lady Sailors’ fourth-straight win to cap off the eliminations; while Janelle Mendoza contributed nine points, six assists and three steals in the contest.
On the other hand, the Lady Scorpions officially bowed out of Pool A, finishing with a 1-6 record.
Krizzyann Bautista paced CEU with 15 points, while Jhianne Ferolino and Dorie Montecalbo chipped in 10 points apiece in the loss.
In other games, the New Zealand-Bluefire Valkyries boosted their quarterfinals bid, while PSP picked up its first win in the tournament, which is also supported by Uratex, Discovery Suites, Red Dynasty, Gotobox, Gerry’s Grill, Prettiest, Team Graphitee, Evo Performance Helmets, Ryzen Helmets, Katinko, Dorayd, Sogo Hotel, Global Bosny Manufacturing and Bavin.
New Zealand-Bluefire capped off the eliminations with a 107-41 rout of Solar Home to strengthen its chances of securing a quarterfinals slot in Pool B.
Camille Claro top-scored for the Valkyries, who finished the elimination round with a 5-2 slate, with 20 points built on five triples. For her part, Trisha Mendoza was not too far behind with 19 markers and eight boards.
Snow Peñaranda added a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds to go along with four steals, while Khate Castillo had 10 points.
Meanwhile, the Suns absorbed their second-straight defeat to fall to 1-5 in Pool A. Christine Cortizano was the leading scorer for the team with seven points.
In the nightcap, PSP took down EZ Jersey, 79-67, to snap a five-game losing streak also in Pool A.
Sam Harada and Queenie Aquino both had double-doubles in the Lady Gymers’ breakthrough win that improved their slate to 1-5. The former tallied 17 points and 11 rebounds, while the latter had 17 points as well, laced with 10 rebounds.
The Relentless, on the other hand, suffered their sixth consecutive loss in as many games. Lorraine Capilit scored 17 points, while Janeth Sison and Caryl Molina added 14 and 10, respectively.
The scores:
First game
Philippine Navy 93 – Tongco 30, Bernardino 26, Miranda 12, Mendoza 9, Ong 5, Polindey 4, Antiquera 2, Cas 2, Mercado 2, Borja 1, Lomogda 0, Macasiray 0, Brillante 0.
CEU 52 – Bautista 15, Ferolino 10, Montecalbo 10, Banih 6, Tapinit 5, Cadano 2, Defeles 2, Gumapo 2, Autida 0, Garcia 0, Mahusay 0, Duran 0.
Quarterscores: 23-18, 52-22, 71-37, 93-52
Second game
New Zealand-Bluefire 107 – Claro 20, Mendoza 19, Peñaranda 13, Castillo 10, Villamor 9, Calang 8, Quingco 7, Torres 6, Sario 5, Binaohan 4, Ahmed 2, Santos 2, Sunga 2, Dela Paz 0, Camba 0.
Solar Home 41 – Cortizano 7, Rodas 6, Pesquera 5, Tatel 4, Medina 4, Young 4, Moslares 3, Alba 2, Batnag 2, Lirazan 2, Brenzuela 2, Ferrer 0, Go 0, Pocallan 0
Quarterscores: 25-5, 50-21, 75-25, 107-41.
Third game
PSP 79 – Harada 17, Aquino 17, Bartolo 11, Dionisio 6, Cancio 6, Quiapo 5, Larrosa 5, Ventura 3, Buendia 3, Terrinal 2, Tolentino 2, Geli 2, Dimaunahan 0, Antonio 0.
EZ Jersey 67 – Capilit 17, Sison 14, Molina 10, Domingo 9, Gandalla 5, Canayong 4, Docallos 4, Felisarta 4, Gonzalo 0, Alcantara 0, Gayo 0, Schmidt 0, San Jose 0, Hortaleza 0.
Quarterscores: 18-17, 37-42, 58-53, 79-67
