Quezon City became the first low seeded team to prevail over a top ranked squad as the Capitals scored a vengeful 88-77 win over Makati even as powerhouse San Juan outlasted Navotas Wednesday night in the MPBL Datu Cup at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
The Knights, seeded third in the tough northern division, were pushed to the limit by the Clutch before notching an 81-76 win.
Their victory, however, were overshadowed by the Capitals’ inspiring victory over the favored Super Crunch.
The Capitals picked a perfect time to snap the Makati Skyscrapers’ 15-game winning run – and scored a payback victory as well.
Jay Collado finished with a career-high 27 points as he led Quezon City’s torrid shooting.
The Black Mamba-backed Capitals hit 11 treys while holding their rivals to just 33-percent shooting.
Hesed Gabo and Andoy Estrella tallied 15 apiece while Peejay Barua contributed 10 for the Capitals, who moved a win away from advancing to the semifinal round of the northern division of this tournament put up by Senator Manny Pacquiao with PBA legend and former MVP Kenneth Duremdes serving as commissioner.
Earlier, San Juan turned to Mike Ayonayon who scattered 10 of his 16 points in the third period to weather repeated uprisings by the Clutch.
San Juan also got plenty of help from its frontliners — Larry Rodriguez and Larry Muyang.
Rodriguez, one of the few members of the Knights squad who has a championship pedigree, had a double-double showing of 14 points and 10 rebounds. Another veteran player, Mac Cardona, also contributed big, tallying 13 points.
