Pioneer stunned Leg 4 winner Meralco while Purefoods completed a sweep of its pool play assignment in the fifth leg of the PBA 3x3 second conference held Sunday, April 3 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Christian Rivera powered Pioneer to a 20-16 win over Meralco to snatch top spot in Pool A while Purefoods rolled past Terrafirma with a 21-10 victory for a perfect 3-0 slate in Pool C.
The results enabled the Pro Tibay and TJ Titans to gain direct entries into the quarterfinals of the halfcourt competition’s penultimate leg.
Both Pioneer and Meralco finished tied at 3-1, but the former gained the tiebreaker because of a win-over-the-other rule.
Rivera scored 13 points as he, Carlo de Chavez, Gian Abrigo and Robin Rono earned the right to face the winner of the knockout match between Master Sardines and TNT, third placers in Pool B and C.
Meralco is still assured of making the quarters despite the defeat after clinching a spot in the leg’s first day.
Joseph Eriobu’s nine points led the way as Purefoods, also composed of Jed Mendoza, Val Acuna and Jun Bonsubre, will go into the knockout stage being played as of posting time looking to win its first leg crown since Leg 4 of the first conference.
First conference champion Limitless likewise finished with a 3-0 record, topping Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, 21-9.
Also advancing are Platinum Karaoke, Sista and San Miguel Beer after winning their final preliminary games.
Platinum squeaked past CAVITEX, 18-17, in Pool A, Sista downed Master Sardines, 19-17, in Pool B while San Miguel beat TNT, 21-16.
Tied at 2-2 with CAVITEX, Platinum advanced because of its win while San Miguel placed second in Pool C despite similar 1-2 records with TNT and Terrafirma due to a better quotient.
TNT had the second best quotient, thus eliminating Terrafirma from knockout contention.