Sazon leads Risers to ninth win, keeps playoff hopes alive

The Bataan Risers strengthened their playoff bid after defeating the Sarangani 10ACT Marlins, 90-73, on Tuesday in the 2026 Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) Season at the Caloocan Sports Complex.

Homegrown standouts Yves Sazon and Lerwin Flores led Bataan's charge as the Risers built a commanding 79-53 advantage early in the fourth quarter before cruising to their ninth victory against 12 losses in the round-robin elimination phase of the 26-team tournament.

Sazon, who emerged as an offensive standout during his stint with the Philippine Christian University Dolphins, paced Bataan with 23 points, two rebounds, and two assists.

"We just strive to follow the beautiful system of our coach (Myk Saguiguit). We're always ready," said Sazon, who became the second player to join the MPBL's 2,000-point club after Basilan's John Wilson.

Flores added 14 points, six rebounds, and five assists, while Jamil Gabawan contributed eight points, 10 rebounds, and four assists. Joey Barcuma finished with nine points and two rebounds.

Sarangani attempted a late comeback behind Leland Estacio, Carl Bryan Lacap, and Paul Sanga, who combined for four three-pointers to cut the deficit to 70-86.

Bataan quickly stopped the rally, however, to secure the victory.

Lacap led the Marlins with 18 points and four rebounds, while Estacio posted 14 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Ralph Tansingco added 12 points and three rebounds.

The loss dropped Sarangani to 3-22.

Bataan is tied with Valenzuela City for ninth and 10th place in the North Division. Teams finishing seventh through 10th after the elimination round will compete in a knockout play-in tournament for the final two quarterfinal berths.

The MPBL resumes Wednesday at the Batangas City Coliseum, with Bulacan facing Abra at 3 p.m., Ilagan Isabela taking on Cebu at 5 p.m., and Batangas City battling Imus at 7 p.m.