BBC moved to the brink of winning the 6th Tan Kek Pin Cup Saturday night when Robert Buñol's heroics and a solid team effort ensured a 95-78 romp over Talisay Basketball Athletic Club in Game 1 of their Best-of-Three finals series at the Po Hang Gym.

The bull-strong Buñol made mincemeat of Talisay's defense and came away with 22 points as BBC showed up as the more cohesive unit on the floor to draw first blood in the series.

BBC, which disposed Magnolia Nutri-oil for the first championship seat, and Talisay, a semifinal winner over New ST Marketing, are playing in Game 2 as of press deadline. If Talisay wins, the deciding game will be played at 7 tonight.

Buñol, one of the frontrunners in the Immuvit MVP race, carried the weight for BBC in the final period, attacking Talisay's single coverage at the post for 8 points that helped sustain the assault for a 90-73 lead.

Nonoy Hugnatan and Romeo Pactao-in partnered to make a game out of it at 82-71 early in the fourth, before Buñol, who was named Immuvit player of the game, imposed his will in the shaded area.

Philip Abong jumpstarted the BBC onslaught in the opening period with 11 points for a 23-18 lead and Buñol, Joebert Pastias and Barry Uytiepo all showed flashes of brilliance in the next frame as the West Negros College-based squad erected a 14-point buffer at halftime. BBC was up, 74-55, heading into the fourth period with Allan Jaena and Nono Pugoy taking turns in delivering the baskets in the third frame.

Pastias had two buzzer-beating triples that highlighted his 14-point output as Abong, Jaena and Pugoy combined for 29 points. Hugnatan and Pactao-in scored 12 and 11 points, respectively, as Talisay groped for form in the face of BBC's stellar defense. Joey Caduhada chipped in 8. *CPT

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