The Quezon Huskers quelled the Gensan Warriors’ final assault and prevailed, 86-82, on Tuesday in 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 minutes and 15 seconds 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.
In other games, 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 while the Retooled Manila Batang Quiapo stunned Pasig, 92-89, in the opener.
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 5 assists to earn best player honors over Judel Fuentes, who contributed 22 points and 2 rebounds, and Joseph Gabayni with 10 points and 4 rebounds.
Gensan, which skidded to 11-7, drew 17 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists from Jeol Lee Yu, 14 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists from Kyle Tolentino, and 11 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks from Karwin Dionisio.
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, 7 assists and 3 rebounds, and so did Dawn Ochea with 11 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals.
Quezon City skidded to 4-13 despite Nino Ibanez’s 19 points and 2 rebounds, Edcel Rojas’ 12 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists, and Ry De La Rosa’s 11 points.
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 4 rebounds, Sedillo added 18 points, including seven in the last period, and 8 rebounds, and Himan contributed 14 rebounds, 12 assists, 6 points and 3 steals that pulled down Pasig’s slate to 7-9.
