Former Slasher Cid White and Glen Peter Yap led five others with double-digit scores with 17 points apiece as the Eagles preserved a pristine slate and the overall lead.
TPG Davao had actually roared to an 11-2 start but the Slashers, who swept the Blades in three games to top the MBA first conference early this month, regained control and kept close going into the break.
But it came to be RCPI Negros’ last show of force as Manigo, who chipped in 14 markers and dished out 10 assists, sparked a series of telling runs in the last two quarters that shut the lights out of the Slashers.
John Ferriols, the league’s maiden season MVP, led all scorers with 18 points but just could not deliver in the end as RCPI Negros absorbed its third loss against a win to skid to the bottom of the standing.
Meanwhile, the Pampanga Stars relied on the endgame heroics of rookie VJ Santos as they tripped the LBC Batangas Blades, 90-86, before their hometown crowd at the Bren Guiao Convention Center in San Fernando, Pampanga late Saturday.
Santos torched the defending national champions with 15 points including a pair of foul shots in the final 23 seconds to hand the Stars their second win in three games and a share of the Northern Conference lead with the Gilbey’s Olongapo Volunteers.