Batangas–New Zealand Bluefire vented its ire on Pasig Queenpin, 80-52, to move a win away from an outright semifinals berth in the 2026 Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League on Wednesday at Hoops Haven in Pasay City.
The Valkyries raced to an 18-1 start behind Snow Peñaranda, Khate Castillo, and Afril Bernardino, and never looked back en route to a dominant win that improved them to 7-2 for solo second place.
It was a strong bounce-back for Batangas–New Zealand, which came off a 58-74 loss to league-leading Akari-Rizal last Sunday.
(C) WMPBL
“Of course, we want to see what kind of character we have coming off a loss. It’s a good sign for us that we can bounce back from losing a game and correct our mistakes,” said Valkyries head coach Cholo Villanueva.
At the half, Batangas–New Zealand had already built a 25-point cushion, 46-21, after outscoring Pasig in the second period, 21-11.
The Valkyries also put the clamps on Queenpin star Gabi Bade, holding her scoreless in the first half. She still finished with 15 points, five rebounds, and five assists, but struggled from the field, shooting 5-of-20.
Pringle Fabruada made a strong season debut for Batangas after her Philippine Army duties, finishing with 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting, along with four rebounds and two assists off the bench.
Queenie Aquino and Castillo added 12 points each, while Peñaranda posted 11 points, six rebounds, and five assists.
Batangas–New Zealand will look to secure an automatic semifinal ticket on Sunday against last-place Caloocan.
(C) WMPBL
Lee Sario led Pasig with 16 points, 11 of which came in the first half.
The Queenpin, who slipped to 2-7 in fifth place, will close its elimination round against the Sparks on Sunday as well.
The Scores:
Batangas-New Zealand Bluefire 80 — Fabruada 15, Castillo 12, Aquino 12, Peñaranda 11, Bernardino 9, Manzanares 5, Tongco 3, Dionisio 3, Calang 3, Torres 3, Bariquit 3, Lozada 1, Claro 0, Arciga 0, Talas 0.
Pasig-Queenpin 52 — Sario 16, Bade 15, Mendaros 6, Miranda 4, Natural 4, Cancio 2, Parungao 2, Balasta 2, Villanueva 1, Tolentino 0, Araja 0, Padilla 0, Binaohan 0, Cac 0.
Quarterscores: 25-10, 46-21, 70-34, 80-52.
