For 404 days, Abra Solid North had been untouchable in the MPBL.
The Weavers dominated the league, stringing together 38 straight wins across the regular season and playoffs, along with 10 more victories in the preseason tournament.
But on Saturday, Abra Solid North finally met its match.
Facing a raucous San Juan crowd and a reinvigorated Knights squad, the defending champions faltered, absorbing a 66-58 defeat at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
The last time Abra suffered a loss came during the 2025 season—a 70-60 setback to Pasay on March 19, 2025.
Ironically, that defeat sparked the historic streak, which began just six days later with a 114-69 rout of Bulacan.
(C) Pat Salenga/MPBL
And it was the new boys of San Juan who brought that run to an end.
After seeing a once-comfortable 56-44 lead shrink to just three points with under two minutes remaining, Mike Phillips and Harold Alarcon came through with back-to-back baskets to steady the Knights.
DJ Fenner, the former University of Nevada standout, tried to keep Abra in the game, but Patrick Sleat and Reyland Torres answered each push down the stretch.
Free throws by Gerry Abadiano then sealed the win for San Juan.
With the victory, the Knights—coming off an 89-94 overtime loss to Rizal-Xentromall—improved to 3-1 in the North Division, while Abra slipped to 2-1.
Former PBA vets Aldrech Ramos and James Kwekuteye led San Juan with 12 and 10 points, respectively, with Ramos also hauling down nine rebounds.
Phillips finished with 11 rebounds and four points, while Alarcon shook off early shooting struggles to post eight points, eight rebounds, six assists, and two steals.
Fenner paced Abra with 18 points on 4-of-12 shooting with six rebounds, while Mike Ayonayon added 12 points.
Dave Ildefonso, the reigning MVP, only played 16 minutes after suffering an injury that kept him out for the last five minutes of the game.
(C) Pat Salenga/MPBL
In the earlier games, Cebu improved to 3-2 after a 91-84 win over Bataan, while Mindoro snapped its two-game skid with a dominant 119-71 victory over Parañaque.
Mark Meneses exploded for 31 points built on four triples, along with 10 rebounds, to lead the Greats, while Brian Heruela added an all-around performance of 19 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
For the Tamaraws, Bambam Gamalinda finished with 21 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals, while Joseph Sedurifa added 20 points highlighted by six triples, along with seven rebounds and four assists.
Homegrown Rodel Vaygan took over in the final eight minutes for Mindoro, scoring all 17 of his points in that stretch. His fifth triple with 22.4 seconds left sealed the final score and also marked his entry into the MPBL 1,000-point club.
The Risers, who have now lost two straight and dropped to 3-2, were led by Alfred Flores with 20 points, five rebounds, and four assists, and Hubert Cani, who had 14 points, four rebounds, and three assists.
The Patriots, meanwhile, suffered their sixth straight loss in as many games.
