Pasay routs Batangas in MPBL upset
MANILA, Philippines — The Pasay Voyagers rode on Rence Alcoriza's fourth-quarter outburst to stun the Batangas City Tanduay Athletics, 85-67, on Tuesday and gear up their playoff drive in the SportsPlus MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 2026 Season at the Pasay Astrodome.
Alcoriza clustered 12 points on back-to-back triples and three-point plays to power the Voyagers to their 12th win against nine losses in the round-robin elimination phase of the two-division, 27-team tournament.
The 6-foot Alcoriza, a former star of the Arellano University Chiefs, poured in 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals to capture the Best Player honors over Christian Fajarito, who notched 16 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
Alcoriza attributed the Voyagers' biggest win thus far to "disiplina sa depensa," adding that once they established their defense, the offense followed.
Already ahead, 76-65, the Voyagers padded their lead with nine straight points before the Athletics' Mark Olayon pegged the final count.
Pasay controlled the game from the start as Cyril Gonzales notched 12 points, three assists and three steals; Kriss Gurtiza chipped in 12 points, three assists and three steals; and Lennard Santiago contributed 11 points and two assists.
With a 15-3 record, Batangas City, which saw its 13-game winning run broken, tumbled from first to joint second with GenSan, behind Quezon Province (13-2) in the South Division.
The Athletics drew 19 points and six rebounds from Ced Ablaza; 16 points and three rebounds from Jhan Nermal; and 12 points, four rebounds and two steals from Ino Comboy.
Zamboanga batters Paranaque
Zamboanga SiKat battered Paranaque, 130-76, in the second game and climbed to 8-11.
Levi Hernandez finished with 24 points and four rebounds for Zamboanga and was chosen Best Player over Brandon Wilson, who registered 19 points, four rebounds and two assists.
Other players who delivered for Zamboanga were Reggz Gabat with 18 points, four rebounds and two assists; Christian Bunag with 13 points and seven rebounds; John Arthur Calisay with 11 points, three rebounds and three assists; and Joseph Gabayni with 10 points and eight rebounds.
Also-ran Paranaque, which skidded to 2-20, got 15 points each from Domark Matillano and James Mangahas, and 12 each from John Michael Cruz and Jomar Santos.
Bulacan trounces Bacolod
The Bulacan Kuyas met token opposition and trounced the Bacolod Maskarras, 100-64, in the first game to climb to a 5-13 slate.
The Kuyas frolicked in the fourth quarter, where they poured in 24 points against only six for the Maskarras, who went silent and committed six turnovers in the last 7:48.
Bulacan, powered by Jeremy Cruz's 20 points and five rebounds, and Benedict Benedictos' 19 points, three rebounds, three steals and two assists, snapped a six-game slide and kept its faint playoff hopes in the North Division.
Benedictos was chosen Best Player over Cruz, while Mico Dizon contributed 16 points, six rebounds and two steals; and Andre Acop chipped in 11 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals.
Bacolod, which drew 19 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals from Desmond Price, and 19 points and two rebounds from Jeremy Monton, dropped its 11th straight game and tumbled to 3-19.
The tournament returns to the Ynares Center Montalban on Wednesday, featuring games between Negros and Quezon City at 3 p.m.; Pasig and Abra at 5 p.m.; and host Rizal and Gensan at 7 p.m. (Pool story)
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