Greats return to winning ways with rout of Pasigueños

Cebu bounced back from consecutive defeats with a dominant 108-86 victory over Pasig City on Saturday in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) 2026 Season at the Orion Sports Complex.

The Gems pulled away behind a strong second-half performance from Alvin Baetiong, who scored nine points in the third quarter before adding 12 more in the fourth to help Cebu build a commanding 99-73 lead.

The win improved Cebu to 15-5, keeping the Gems in fourth place in the South Division behind Batangas City (15-2), Quezon Province (15-2), and Biñan (15-3) in the 27-team tournament.

Facing his former team, the 6-foot-5 San Sebastian standout finished with 23 points and seven rebounds in just 18 minutes and 50 seconds to earn Best Player of the Game honors.

"I just did what my coaches told me to do," Baetiong said. "We really need to step up because of Simon (Camacho's) absence."

Ron Dennison added 15 points, five rebounds, and two assists, while Limuel Tampos chipped in 12 points, four assists, and two rebounds.

Pasig cut the deficit to 101-86 after Jerome Garcia knocked down consecutive three-pointers, but Cebu answered with a decisive 7-0 run capped by back-to-back triples from Dondon Hontiveros and Ichie Altamirano to put the game away.

The loss dropped Pasig to 9-7, though Jacob Galicia finished with 17 points, six rebounds, and two assists. Keith Pido contributed 14 points, seven assists, and two rebounds, while Michael Lambino also scored 14 points to go with six rebounds. Warlo Batac added 12 points, five assists, and four rebounds.

Despite the defeat, Pasig remained fifth in the North Division behind Abra (16-1), San Juan (15-1), Caloocan (17-2), and Ilagan Isabela (12-7).

The MPBL resumes on Monday at Villar Coliseum in Las Piñas with Meycauayan facing Mindoro at 3 p.m., Biñan taking on Valenzuela at 5 p.m., and Sarangani meeting Manila at 7 p.m.