The Batangas City Tanduay Athletics bled for points, but survived the Quezon Huskers’ final lunge, 65-62, on Thursday, June 25, in the SportsPlus MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 2026 Season at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City.
Held to six points in the fourth quarter, Batangas courted disaster when Ino Comboy lost ball possession with 10.5 seconds left, only for Quezon’s Christian Pagaran to commit an errant pass stolen by Jhan Nermal, who got fouled in a penalty situation.
Nermal sank both charities with 5.6 to go for the final count as Quezon gunner Judel Fuentes missed a triple before the final buzzer sounded.
Batangas notched its eighth straight win and climbed to 12-2, surpassing Quezon’s 9-2, and trailing only Gensan (13-2) in the race for playoff spots in the South division.
Rhinwill Yambing tallied 17 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals to edge Nermal, with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals, for the SportsPlus best player honors.
Dawn Ochea, who accounted for Batangas’ lone field goal in the fourth quarter, Abdul Sawat and Mark Cruz contributed 6 points each.
Quezon’s Cyrus Tabi could have knotted the count at 63, but missed the second of three free throws off a Nermal foul with 32.7 seconds to go.
The Huskers, the reigning back-to-back South champions, surged ahead, 17-7, behind back-to-back triples by Fuentes and Tabi, but Nermal, Yambing, Ochea and Comboy combined to catch up at 21.
Batangas, however, countered with a 20-5 run, presided over by Yambing and Sawat, to seize control at 43-30.
Quezon drew 17 points and 4 rebounds from Fuentes, 10 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals from Cedric Manzano, and 9 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals from Jolo Manansala.
San Juan dumps Marikina
The San Juan Knights routed the Marikina Shoemasters, 106-78, earlier to extend their hot run to nine and remain in contention for the top playoff spot in the North division.
With seven Knights, headed by Dexter Maiquez, in double figures, San Juan led as far as 104-68 en route to an 11-1 card, tying Abra Solid North, and keeping Caloocan (14-1) in sight.
Maiquez finished with 16 points and 7 rebounds, followed by Reyland Torres with 12, Patrick Sleat, Gerry Abadiano and Kenneth Villapando with 11 each, and Orlan Wamar and Harold Alarcon with 10 each.
Marikina skidded to 5-10 as only Jeepy Faundo and Deo Timajo found their range with 12 points each.
Mindoro trounces Sarangani
The Mindoro Tamaraws, powered by Bambam Gamalinda and Hanz Philip Maycong, pounded the Sarangani 10ACT Marlins, 110-81, in the opener to improve to 7-7.
Gamalinda tallied 20 points, all in the first three quarters, 3 points and 2 assists to clinch the best player honors over Maycong, former star of the Olivarez College Sea Lions, who posted 15 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
Brian Heruela also shone for Mindoro with 12 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals, followed by John Apacible, with 10 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists, and Jonas Tibayan, with 9 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists.
The Marlins, who absorbed their 12th straight defeat and fell to 1-13, got 16 points and 3 rebounds from Carl Bryan Lacap, 15 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks from Danny Marilao, and 14 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists from Larce Sunga.
The tournament returns to the Pasay Astrodome on Friday, featuring games between Valenzuela and Meycauayan Marilao at 4 p.m., Abra and Basilan at 6 p.m., and Pasay and Binan at 8 p.m.
