BACOOR CITY – Pangasinan-Solar Home shocked erstwhile-unbeaten San Juan-DN Steel, handing them their first loss with an 86-83 overtime thriller Sunday in the 2025 Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League regular season presented by Akari at Strike Gym here.
The Suns escaped the defending unbeaten squad in a nail-biting finish that featured clutch free throws and clutch baskets in the extra period.
With the score tied at 80 in overtime, Jhenn Angeles calmly sank two free throws before Bettina Binaoan banked in a floater, giving Pangasinan an 84-80 lead with 44 seconds remaining.
Despite battling cramps, Janine Pontejos responded with a clutch three-pointer off a handoff to pull San Juan within one, 84-83, with 36 seconds left.
On the next possession, Kristina Tolentino was called for a foul, sending LJ Miranda to the line. Miranda split her free throws, and Angeles did the same on the Suns’ following trip, pushing the lead to 86-83 with just one second left.
Chack Cabinbin had a chance to force a second overtime with a three-point attempt but missed badly, sealing Pangasinan-Solar Home’s hard-fought victory in the tournament supported by Uratex, Black Mamba, Red Dynasty, Aktive Balls, and Pocari Sweat.
(C) WMPBL
“Proud na maganda ‘yung execution namin. Good execution, especially on defense. Every game, nagkakaroon kami ng improvements, lalo na sa aspect ng maturity, so very happy for the team,” said Suns head coach PJ Navarro.
“This team has many offensive options. Siyempre thankful ako sa mga assistant coaches ko kasi tulong tulong kami lahat dito para mag-improve ‘yung mga players,” he added.
With Pangasinan-Solar Home ace Gabi Bade struggling offensively, Lee Sario, Jhenn Angeles, and Bettina Binaoan stepped up to power the team to a huge win.
They have created a three-way tie at the top of the standings with New Zealand Blufire-Batangas and San Juan-DN Steel, all holding identical 3-1 records.
Sario led all scorers with 20 points, six rebounds, and four assists.
Angeles contributed 19 points, while Binaoan delivered an efficient 18 points on 85-percent shooting, adding six rebounds and two steals.
Bade, despite shooting 3-of-12 from the field, still made her impact felt with a double-double of 11 assists and 10 rebounds, plus two steals.
Pangasinan’s Ara Abaca forced overtime with a layup that tied the game at 77-all with less than a minute remaining in regulation. She finished with eight points, eight rebounds, and six assists, while LJ Miranda added eight points and nine boards.
Pangasinan-Solar Home will have a chance to break the tie for second place when it faces New Zealand Bluefire-Batangas on Sunday at 4:00 PM in Tagaytay.
(C) WMPBL
Sthef Ventura paced San Juan with 21 points and six rebounds.
Pontejos recorded 18 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists, while Chack Cabinbin posted 16 points, 10 assists, and five steals in the loss.
The Lady Knights aim to bounce back against Discovery-Rizal at 6:00 PM, also on Sunday.
The Scores:
Pangasinan-Solar Home 86 – Sario 20, Angeles 19, Binaohan 18, Miranda 8, Abaca 8, Bade 7, Medina 4, Cortizano 2, Ordoveza 0, Salapong 0, Go 0, Rodas 0, Cancio 0
San Juan-DN Steel 83 – Ventura 21, Pontejos 18, Cabinbin 16, Pedregosa 8, Tolentino 7, Talas 6, Panti 3, Adlawan 2, Paras 2, Junsay 0
Quarterscores: 20-18, 35-31, 57-53, 77-77, 86-83
