Pasig, Bataan notch crucial wins to boost playoff bids

The Pasiguenos and Bataan Risers strengthened their playoff aspirations with victories on Monday in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) 2026 Season at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

Pasig pulled off a dramatic 69-68 escape over the Mindoro Tamaraws in the nightcap, with Warlo Batac converting the game-winning driving layup with 8.7 seconds remaining.

Mindoro had one final opportunity to steal the win, but Bambam Gamalinda committed a turnover with three seconds left, allowing Pasig to hold on and climb to sixth place in the North Division standings.

Jacob Galicia led the Pasiguenos with 17 points, seven rebounds, and two steals, scoring seven of his points in the fourth quarter. Batac delivered in crunch time, finishing with 11 points—six of them in the final 2:44—along with eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Jerome Garcia also contributed 13 points and two assists.

"We poured it all out because we needed to recover from three straight losses," Galicia said.

Mindoro dropped to 7-8 after missing key opportunities down the stretch, including four missed free throws by John Apacible in the final five minutes.

Gamalinda paced the Tamaraws with 19 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Apacible added 12 points and nine rebounds, while JJ Caspe posted a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds to go with four assists and two steals.

Earlier in the day, Bataan kept its postseason hopes alive with a convincing 98-50 rout of Imus Yangkee.

Robbi Darang spearheaded the Risers with 18 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Jeff Santos added 14 points and three rebounds, Christian Balagasay tallied 11 points, six rebounds, and three assists, while Migs Corteza also finished with 11 markers. Joshua Gallano chipped in eight points, 10 rebounds, and two assists.

The loss dropped Imus to 2-9, with no player scoring in double figures.

MPBL action continues Tuesday at the Batangas City Coliseum, where Basilan faces Marikina at 4 p.m., Zamboanga battles Rizal at 6 p.m., and host Batangas takes on Valenzuela at 8 p.m.