Batangas-New Zealand Bluefire stamped its class on Pasig, 93-65, to cap off the first round of the 2026 Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League regular season in second place, Sunday at the Alonte Sports Arena.
Since suffering a heartbreaking 79-83 overtime loss to league-leading Biñan-Tatak Gel on April 15, the defending champions have responded with three straight victories to finish the opening round with a 4-1 record.
“We know na ‘yung Queenpin will be coming out strong. So we really prepared for them. They’re coming from a loss, but we know they’re gonna come out strong, so we really prepared for today,” said Valkyries head coach Cholo Villanueva.
(C) WMPBL
Jil Talas waxed hot from beyond the arc, drilling five three-pointers—all coming in the second half—to finish with a game-high 22 points, alongside seven rebounds off the bench for Batangas-New Zealand Bluefire.
Holding a nine-point cushion at 65-56 in the fourth quarter, the Valkyries caught fire with an 18-2 run, highlighted by Talas knocking down three triples during that stretch to push the lead to 83-58 with five minutes remaining—a surge the Queenpin could not recover from.
Reigning MVP Afril Bernardino filled up the stat sheet with 20 points and 10 rebounds, along with five blocks, three assists, and three steals in nearly 26 minutes of action.
Snow Peñaranda added 12 points, nine rebounds, and four assists, while Camille Claro chipped in 10 points, five assists, and four rebounds in Batangas-New Zealand Bluefire’s fourth win in the tourney backed by Aktive.
(C) WMPBL
On the other hand, Pasig continued to slide down the standings, suffering its third straight loss to drop to a 1-4 record, tied with Caloocan at the bottom of the standings.
Gabi Bade once again led Pasig with 13 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, while LJ Miranda also finished with 13 points and eight boards. Nikka Villanueva added 12 points and eight rebounds in the loss.
The Scores:
Batangas-New Zealand Bluefire 93 – Talas 22, Bernardino 20, Peñaranda 12, Claro 10, Bariquit 7, Torres 7, Aquino 6, Lozada 4, Calang 3, Tongco 2
Pasig 65 – Bade 13, Miranda 13, Villanueva 12, Natural 8, Sario 6, Cancio 5, Mendaros 3, Padilla 3, Parungao 2, Binaohan 0
Quarterscores: 16-20, 38-31, 65-52, 93-65
