Pangasinan stunned Nueva Ecija, 86-85, while San Juan went through two overtimes to subdue Pasay, 94-89, on Wednesday in the opener of their Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League North Division quarterfinal series at the Nueva Ecija Coliseum in Palayan City.
The Pangasinan Heatwaves bunched 12 points bridging the first and second quarters to break free, 25-15, then fended off the Rice Vanguards’ final assault to move within a win of advancing to the semifinal round.
Just like the San Juan Knights, who blew a big lead, settled for a 77-77 count in regulation, survived the first overtime, 84-84, and leaned on a closing 9-point run to trip the Pasay Voyagers.
Trailing, 74-82, with 3:10 to go, the Rice Vanguards bunched seven points to threaten, 81-82.
Veteran Vic Manuel, however, responded with a one-handed turnaround jumper, and after Nueva Ecija’s Jaycee Marcelino and Pangasinan’s Hesed Gabo traded two free throws each, Nueva Ecija’s Will McAloney scored on a follow-up with 5.2 seconds left for the final tally.
Gabo got fouled but flubbed both charities with 4.6 seconds left, allowing Nueva Ecija’s Byron Villarias to throw a long desperation heave that was way off.
Though the final count was close, Pangasinan was in control most of the way, leading for 36 minutes and 42 seconds against only 39 seconds for Nueva Ecija.
Manuel wound up with 16 points, four rebounds and three assists; Gabo with 12 points and five assists; Ian Melencio with 11 points, four rebounds and three assists; Jorey Napoles with eight points plus nine rebounds; and Allyn Bulanadi with eight points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Nueva Ecija got 17 points, 10 rebounds and two assists from McAloney; 13 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals from Christian Manaytay; 10 points, nine rebounds, six assists and three blocks from Rob Celiz; and seven points, five assists and three rebounds from Jaycee Marcelino.
Orlan Wamar, atoning for his earlier miscues, again rescued the Knights from disaster, converting four charities and feeding AC Soberano for a triple in a closing 9-point San Juan run that turned the game around.
Pasay led, 89-85, on Darell Manliguez’s two free throws with 1:47 left in the second extension, but couldn’t score after that, and San Juan countered through Wamar, Soberano and Arvin Gamboa’s two charities.
The first overtime ended at 84-all after Pasay’s Jasper Salenga missed a buzzer-beater jumper.
Felipe Chavez drilled in a triple with 8.5 seconds to go to knot the count at 77-77, in regulation, after which Wamar missed a probable game-winner.
The Knights surged ahead, 46-21, midway through the second quarter, only for the Voyagers to rally through Christian Fajarito, Manliguez, Cyrus Tabi, Jasper Salenga and Marc Danie Sangco.
Soberano posted 24 points, all from rainbow territory, while Wamar tallied 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
Gamboa finished with 12 points, the same as Dexter Maiquez, while Raul Soyud contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Pasay drew 20 points and six rebounds from Fajarito; 16 points and five rebounds from Manliguez; 10 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and six steals from Sangco; 11 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals from Tabi; and 10 points plus three rebounds from Salenga.
The league visits the Batangas City Coliseum on Thursday, with the South Division quarterfinals pitting Binan Tatak Gel against Rizal Province at 6 p.m., and Batangas against Zamboanga SiKat at 8 p.m.