Coming off a home loss to Cebu last week, the Stars of Manila bounced back, escaping the General Santos City Warriors, 79-72, Thursday evening at the San Andres Gym.
Aris Dionisio knocked in 11 of his 23 points in the final period, allowing his squad to outscore its rival, 25-16, on its way to scoring its third win in four games.
San Juan, on the other hand, kept a hold of the solo lead after scoring a 101-86 dumping of Rizal.
The Knights turned to ex-pro John Wilson, who knocked in 25 points, including four triples. He shot a steady 10-of-18 shooting from the field, steering the Go-For-Gold-backed squad to its third win in as many games.
Mike Ayonayon, the MPBL Datu Cup Finals MVP, added 15 markers for the Knights.
Pasay continued its impressive showing in the MPBL Lakan Season, the Voyagers drubbed Jayjay Helterbrand and the Imus Bandera, 82-65.
Jan Jamon and Ron Lasitmosa combined for 27 points, but the rest of the Voyagers showed up and competed as a team in handling the Bandera their second loss in three games. Pasay outplayed Imus, getting 21 points from its rivals turnovers while also having 17 second-chance points.
“We used our loss to San Juan as a motivation,” said Pasay coach Marlon Keith Martin. “We saw the character of our team and their eagerness to bounce back was there.”
