The San Juan Knights pounced on the Bataan Risers’ early scoring lull to tally an 82-67 victory on Friday, April 4, and inch closer to the Manny Pacquiao presents MPBL 2025 Season leaders at the FPJ Arena in San Juan, Batangas.
Mike Calisaan sparked San Juan’s 21-point run in a 7-minute, 30-second span with six straight and AC Soberano capped it with back-to-back triples, pushing the Knights ahead, 26-3, en route to a 4-0 slate in the round-robin elimination phase of the 30-team tournament.
San Juan trails only Nueva Ecija and Rizal Province, both 5-0.
Bataan could not crawl out after that San Juan avalanche and tumbled to 1-5.
Calisaan wound up with 20 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks to clinch best player honors over Dexter Maiquez with 11 points and 12 rebounds, and Orlan Wamar with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 4 steals.
Bataan got 16 points and 3 rebounds from homegrown Yves Sazon, 15 points plus 6 rebounds from Mitchelle Maynes, and 12 points plus 7 rebounds from Robbi Darang.
The Pangasinan Heatwaves got the lift from Kris Harvey Pagsanjan, Vic Manuel and Pedrito Galanza in the second half to beat the Batangas City Tanduay Rhum Masters, 85-79, in the nightcap to rise to 5-1.
Pagsanjan fired 11 of his 16 points in that period to go with 3 rebounds, Manuel posted 9 of his 15 to go with 3 rebounds, and Galanza chalked 10 of his 13 to go with 2 rebounds as the Heatwaves decided the outcome with 2 minutes and 5 seconds left.
Michael Mabulac also played a pivotal role for Pangasinan with 9 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.
Although beaten off the boards, 37-54, the Heatwaves compensated by sinking 11 of 30 triple attempts against the Rhum Masters’ 7 of 26 and 16 of 29 charities against their rivals’ 10 of 20.
Batangas dropped to 3-3 despite Cedrick Ablaza’s 22-point, 7-rebound, 3-assist contribution and Mark Niel Cruz’s 16-point, 7-rebound production.
The Muntinlupa Cagers rode on a fourth quarter spurt and the dagger threes of Marvin Hayes to subdue the Cebu Classic, 77-70, in the opener.
Trailing 54-59, the Cagers dropped 15 points against only three for the Classic to seize control at 69-62 with 4 minutes and 7 seconds to go. Cebu’s Gryann Mendoza retaliated with three free throws, but Hayes, showing he’s more than a power rebounder, drilled in back-to-back triples to seal Muntinlupa’s second straight win in as many outings.
Hayes posted 18 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals to earn best player honors in the tight game that saw 14 lead changes and five deadlocks.
Other Cagers who delivered were Dom Matillano with 12 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists; Mart James Barrera with 12 points and 3 rebounds; Kurt Lojera with 11 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists; and John Cantimbuhan with 10 points, 4 assists and 2 rebounds.
Cebu fell to 2-4 despite the 20-point, 4-rebound, 4-assist, 2-steal effort of Gryann Mendoza and the 19-point, 8-rebound, 2-block output of 6-foot-9 Ladis Lepalam.
The Classic, riding on Lepalam and Mendoza, surged ahead, 26-13, in the first quarter, but Barrera poured all of his points in that span, enabling the Cagers to knot the count at halftime, 34-34.
The MPBL returns to the Ynares Center 2 Montalban on Monday, April 7, with another triple-bill pitting Marikina against Muntinlupa at 4 p.m., Pasig against Bacolod at 6 p.m., and Abra against Rizal Province at 8 p.m.
