Knights down Risers, stay perfect

San Juan pounced on the Bataan’s early scoring lull to tally an 82-67 victory on Friday and inch closer to the Manny Pacquiao presents 1xBet-Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League 2025 Season leaders at the FPJ Arena in San Jose, Batangas.

Mike Calisaan sparked San Juan’s 21-point run in a seven-minute span with six straight points and AC Soberano capped it with back-to-back triples, pushing the Knights ahead, 26-3, en route to a 4-0 slate in the round-robin elimination phase of the 30-team tournament.

San Juan trails only Nueva Ecija and Rizal Province, both 5-0.

Bataan could not crawl out after that San Juan avalanche and tumbled to 1-5.

Calisaan wound up with 20 points, 11 rebounds, two steals and two blocks to clinch the Best Player honors over Dexter Maiquez with 11 points and 12 rebounds, and Orlan Wamar with 11 points, 11 rebounds and four steals.

Bataan got 16 points and three rebounds from homegrown Yves Sazon, 15 points plus six rebounds from Mitchelle Maynes, and 12 points plus seven rebounds from Robbi Darang.

The Pangasinan Heatwaves got the lift from Kris Harvey Pagsanjan, Vic Manuel and Pedrito Galanza in the second half to beat the Batangas City Tanduay Rhum Masters, 85-79, in the nightcap to rise to 5-1.

Pagsanjan fired 11 of his 16 points in that period to go with three rebounds, Manuel posted nine of his 15 to go with three rebounds, and Galanza chalked 10 of his 13 to go with two rebounds as the Heatwaves decided the outcome with 2.5 seconds left.

Michael Mabulac also played a pivotal role for Pangasinan with nine points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Although beaten off the boards, 37-54, the Heatwaves compensated by sinking 11 of 30 triple attempts against the Rhum Masters’ 7 of 26 and 16 of 29 charities against their rivals’ 10 of 20.