Huskers snap Knights' 13-game streak

The Quezon Huskers shut down the San Juan Knights' vaunted offense late in the game to claim a 78-71 victory on Thursday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan, strengthening their grip on the top spot in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) 2025 South Division.

The Huskers seized control in the closing minutes after Christian Pagaran and Mon Abundo scored on back-to-back possessions around a Gerry Abadiano drive, stretching the lead to 71-61 with 4:04 remaining. The win was Quezon's sixth in a row as it improved to 13-2 in the round-robin elimination phase of the 26-team tournament.

San Juan made one final push behind an Orlan Wamar three-pointer, but Cyrus Tabi answered with two free throws before Pagaran split a pair from the line to restore an eight-point advantage, 76-68, with 44.3 seconds left, sealing the outcome.

Fresh off helping Gilas Pilipinas win the gold medal at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games, Cedrick Manzano posted 14 points and 12 rebounds to earn Best Player of the Game honors. Michael Canete also registered a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

"We did not give up and gave our best," said Manzano. "We followed the game plan and we were able to execute it well."

Judel Fuentes added nine points and three rebounds, while Tabi orchestrated the offense with six points, 11 assists, and two rebounds. Pagaran chipped in eight points and four rebounds.

The defeat snapped San Juan's 13-game winning streak as the Knights slipped to 15-2 atop the North Division. They played without Michael Phillips, who has moved to Japan's B.League, while Gerry Abadiano suited up for his final game before leaving for the Korean Basketball League. Head coach Alex Angeles also missed the contest.

Michael Calisaan led San Juan with 14 points and five rebounds, while Raul Soyud contributed 10 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks. Wamar finished with 10 points, five assists, and four rebounds, while Abadiano tallied eight points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

Earlier, the Cebu Greats defeated the Marikina Shoemasters, 87-74, for their second straight victory.

Limuel Tampus paced Cebu with 20 points, six rebounds, and three assists to earn Best Player of the Game honors, while Alfrancis Tamsi also scored 19 points. Mark Meneses produced a double-double of 12 points and 16 rebounds with five assists and two blocks, and Alvin Baetiong added 19 points and 11 rebounds as the Greats improved to 16-5.

Marikina dropped to 7-14 despite 20 points, nine rebounds, and six assists from Deo Timajo. JR Alabanza added 16 points and eight rebounds, while Jeepy Faundo chipped in 11 points and four boards.