MPBL: Quezon repels GenSan; Batangas, Manila win

MANILA, Philippines — The Quezon Huskers quelled the Gensan Warriors' final assault and prevailed, 86-82, on Tuesday in the Manny Pacquiao presents 1xBet-MPBL 2025 Season at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City.

LJay Gonzales poured 12 points, including four straight free throws, in the fourth quarter to help the Huskers foil the Warriors' comeback from 12 points down to within 81-82, with 2:15 left.

The Huskers notched their fourth straight win and climbed to 14-3, keeping the top spot in the South Division and fourth overall in the round-robin elimination phase of the 30-team tournament.

North Division powerhouses Nueva Ecija (17-0), Abra Solid North (16-1) and San Juan (15-1) pace the chase for playoff spots.

Gonzales posted 16 points, 10 rebounds and five assists to earn Best Player honors over Judel Fuentes, who contributed 22 points and two rebounds; and Joseph Gabayni with 10 points and four rebounds.

Gensan, which skidded to 11-7, drew 17 points, two rebounds and two assists from Jeol Lee Yu; 14 points, 14 rebounds and four assists from Kyle Tolentino, and 11 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks from Karwin Dionisio.

Meanwhile, the Batangas City Tanduay Rum Masters leaned on Kenneth Ighalo in the fourth quarter to subdue Quezon City Galeries Taipan, 73-66, and climb to 11-7.

Ighalo fired 15 of his 21 points in that span as the Rum Masters finally broke free from the Taipans and tallied their fourth straight victory.

Levi Hernandez supported Ighalo with 18 points, seven assists and three rebounds, and so did Dawn Ochea with 11 points, three rebounds and two steals.

Quezon City skidded to 4-13 despite Nino Ibanez's 19 points and two rebounds; Edcel Rojas' 12 points, 14 rebounds and five assists; and Ry De La Rosa's 11 points.

For its part, a retooled Manila Batang Quiapo squad stunned Pasig, 92-89, in the opener.

Acquisitions Joe Gomez De Liano, Alfred Sedillo and Alexis Himan delivered in the fourth quarter as Manila checked a 15-game slide and notched its second win.

De Liano posted 20 points and four rebounds; Sedillo added 18 points, including seven in the last period, and eight rebounds; and Himan contributed 14 rebounds, 12 assists, six points and three steals that pulled down Pasig's slate to 7-9.

Achie Inigo also delivered for Batang Quiapo with 15 points, 9 rebounds and 2 steals, and so did Decoy Lopez with 9 points, including a 3-point play that pushed the Manilenos ahead, 90-87, with 47 seconds left.

The Pasiguenos absorbed their third straight defeat despite Chito Jaime's 40 points, laced with seven triples, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Pasig got 12 points, nine rebounds and two steals from Jacob Galicia; 11 points, 16 rebounds, two assists and two steals from Warlo James Batac; and 11 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals from Mark Montuano.

The MPBL returns to the Alonte Sports Arena on Thursday with games pitting Marikina against Paranaque at 4 p.m., Sarangani against Pampanga at 6 p.m., and host Binan against Cebu at 8 p.m.