San Juan and host Biñan showcased dominant performances on Friday at the Alonte Sports Arena in Biñan, Laguna, while Pasig City survived a tough overtime battle to strengthen their campaigns in the MPBL 2026 Season.
The Knights cruised past the Iloilo United Royals, 102-60, in the opener behind a strong showing from their young core. On the other hand, Biñan overwhelmed Imus, 131-76, in the nightcap to continue its rise in the standings.
In between, Pasig City outlasted Sarangani 10ACT, 96-93, in overtime.
San Juan leaned on its rookies and rising stars to notch a fourth straight victory and improve to 6-1.
Already holding a commanding 83-52 advantage, the Knights put the game completely out of reach with a 13-point burst highlighted by consecutive triples from James Kwekuteye, Raul Soyud, and rookie Reyland Torres.
Torres shone brightest for San Juan with 17 points built on five three-pointers, while AC Soberano knocked down five triples of his own to finish with 15 points and four rebounds.
Rookies Gerry Abadiano and Terrence Fortea added 12 points apiece. Then Mike Phillips and Patrick Sleat energized the crowd with nine points each, punctuated by thunderous one-handed dunks.
The Knights remained among the top contenders in the tournament, trailing only unbeaten squads Caloocan (8-0) and GenSan (8-0), while also keeping pace with Quezon Province (5-0) and Abra (5-1) in the playoff chase.
Iloilo dropped to 1-8 despite Kobe Bryant Pableo’s 20 points and 10 rebounds, Kyt Jimenez’s 12-point, 10-rebound, six-assist effort, and Richard Velchez’s 11 points and nine rebounds.
(C) MPBL
In the nightcap, Biñan delivered its most explosive offensive performance of the season, shooting 53-of-100 from the field and leading by as many as 58 points en route to a third straight win and a 6-3 record.
Veteran Carlo Lastimosa paced Biñan with 20 points, but it was rookie Nic Cabanero who stole the spotlight after posting 19 points, 10 rebounds, and two assists.
Pamboy Raymundo sparked the avalanche in the third quarter, draining six triples for all 18 of his points during the period as Biñan stretched the lead to 106-60.
Kenny Roger Rocacurva contributed 15 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. Ryan Sual and Poypoy Actub then chipped in 11 points each.
Imus slipped to 2-7 despite Jordan Rios’ all-around effort of 22 points, 14 rebounds, five steals, and four assists. Dylan Darbin added 14 points, while Joewish Garcia and John Russel Fuentes scored 11 each.
Meanwhile, Pasig City needed late-game heroics from John Felix Corpuz to escape Sarangani and improve to 5-1.
Trailing 90-85 in overtime, Pasig closed the game on an 11-3 run over the final 3:18. Corpuz delivered the finishing touches, scoring the team’s last four points, including a turnaround jumper with 31 seconds left that proved to be the game-winner.
Warlo Batac once again led Pasig with 23 points, 14 rebounds, and four assists, while Jacob Galicia added 18 points and 11 rebounds. Jerome Garcia contributed 14 points, and homegrown forward Marc Tamayo posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Sarangani fell to 1-8 despite Danny Marilao’s 22 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks. Leland Estacio added 15 points, while Lars Sunga, Migs Pascual, and Alex Desoyo also scored in double figures.
Marilao forced overtime after drilling a game-tying triple with 13.6 seconds remaining in regulation.
The MPBL resumes Saturday at One Arena in Cainta with Caloocan facing Ilagan Isabela at 4:00 PM, Zamboanga battling Abra at 6:00 PM, and Valenzuela taking on Quezon Province at 8:00 PM.
