Pasay met stiff resistance from Imus before booking a 74-68 victory in the OKBet-Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Fifth Season at the Cuneta Astrodome.
Egged on by the hometown crowd, the Voyagers fought back from a 63-65 deficit with an 11-point rally capped by a pair of charities from Rommel Mangalino in the final 26 seconds to secure their 12th win in 17 games.
Batangas City Embassy Chill Athletics pounded the Bicol Volcanoes, 114-66, while the San Juan Knights broke away in the third quarter to tally a 109-85 win over the Manila Stars.
Dhon Reverente presided over the Voyagers’ return to orbit with a 25-point, 11-rebound, four-assist effort in the see-saw encounter that saw 11 lead changes and neither team ahead by twin digits.
AJ Coronel supported Reverente with 11 points, followed by Marlon Gomez with nine.
Imus, which tumbled to 7-9, got 14 points from Carlo Lastimosa, 13 from Mac Cardona and 10 from Jimboy Estrada.
Batangas drew firepower from Levi Hernandez with 26 points, including four triples, in climbing to a 12-4 record. He was followed by Juneric Baloria with 16 points, including three triples, Rudy Lingganay with 14 points, and Rhaffy Octobre with 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Meanwhile, the MPBL slapped Marikina Shoemasters coach Elvis Tolentino with a one-game suspension and a P75,000 fine for hitting player Felipe Chavez in their game against Pasig City last 27 June.
The league made the announcement on Tuesday with Commissioner Kenneth Duremdes issuing the memo to Tolentino early Monday following a review and evaluation of the league’s management committee and founder.
The league stated that “Tolentino’s actions of inflicting physical harm on a player is conduct unbecoming of a professional basketball coach.”
