The Quezon Huskers slowed down the San Juan Knights’ high-powered offense and pulled away for a 78-71 victory on Thursday to remain atop the South Division of the MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 2025 Season at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Christian Pagaran and Mon Abundo scored on either side of a Gerry Abadiano drive to stretch Quezon’s lead to its largest of the game, 71-61, with 4:04 remaining. The decisive run helped the Huskers secure their sixth straight win and improve to 13-2 in the round-robin elimination phase of the 26-team tournament.
San Juan trimmed the deficit behind an Orlan Wamar three-pointer, but Cyrus Tabi answered with two free throws before Pagaran split a pair from the line to restore an eight-point cushion, 76-68, with 44.3 seconds left, effectively sealing the victory.
Cedrick Manzano — a member of the Gilas Pilipinas squad that captured the gold medal at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games — posted 14 points and 12 rebounds to earn Best Player of the Game honors. Michael Canete also recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
“We did not give up and gave our best,” said Manzano. “We followed the game plan and we were able to do it well.”
Judel Fuentes chipped in nine points and three rebounds, Tabi finished with six points, 11 assists, and two rebounds, while Pagaran added eight points and four rebounds.
The loss snapped San Juan’s 13-game winning streak as the Knights dropped to 15-2 in the North Division. They played without Japan B.League-bound Michael Phillips and head coach Alex Angeles, while Abadiano suited up for his final game before departing for the Korean Basketball League.
Michael Calisaan led the Knights with 14 points and five rebounds. Raul Soyud contributed 10 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks, while Wamar tallied 10 points, five assists, and four rebounds.
Abadiano finished with eight points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
In the second game, the Cebu Greats continued their resurgence with an 87-74 victory over the Marikina Shoemasters.
Behind the efforts of Limuel Tampus and Alfrancis Tamsi, Cebu broke the game open with a 70-52 advantage before cruising to its second straight win after consecutive home losses. The Greats improved to 16-5.
Tampus earned Best Player of the Game honors after finishing with 20 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Tamsi added 19 points and two rebounds, and Mark Meneses posted 12 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks. Meanwhile, Alvin Baetiong also scored 19 points to go along with 11 rebounds.
Marikina, which slipped to 7-14, was paced by Deo Timajo’s 20 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. JR Alabanza added 16 points and eight rebounds, while Jeepy Faundo chipped in 11 points and four rebounds.
In the opener, Basilan Steel raced to an early lead and never looked back en route to a 102-89 win over Manila Batang Quiapo.
Byron Villarias caught fire with 35 points, highlighted by eight three-pointers, along with six rebounds to earn Best Player of the Game honors as Basilan improved to 10-11 and climbed back to eighth place in the South Division.
Neil Owens contributed 14 points and four rebounds, Jervy Cruz added 13 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, while John Wilson chipped in 11 points, three rebounds, and two assists.
Manila fell to 2-18 despite a stellar all-around performance from John Ashley Faa, who finished with 29 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds. Alfred Sedillo added 21 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks, Joe Gomez De Liano recorded 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Mark Doligon contributed 13 points and six rebounds.
The tournament resumes on Friday at One Arena in Cainta, with Bataan taking on Manila at 3:00 PM, Caloocan facing Sarangani at 5:00 PM, and Bulacan meeting Valenzuela at 7:00 PM.
