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| Jake Figueroa delivers for the Abra Solid North Weavers. MPBL |
MANILA—The Abra Solid North Weavers turned hot in the second half and subdued the Gensan Warriors, 107-94, on Wednesday to continue their climb in the SportsPlus MPBL 2026 Season at the San Jose Del Monte Sports Complex in Bulacan.
Showing why they're the defending champions, the Weavers surged beyond reach, 107-84, before coasting to their sixth straight win and an 8-1 record in the round-robin elimination phase of the two-division, 28-team tournament.
DJ Fenner and Jake Figueroa sparked the Weavers' recovery from a 45-46 halftime deficit, combining for 16 points that shoved them ahead, 81-65, after three quarters.
Gensan, which saw its 10-game winning run broken, bundled nine points, behind JM Versoza and Hesed Gabo, to move within 76-86, but Abra countered with a 21-8 blitz presided over by Figueroa, Shaun Ildefonso and Raven Gonzales to seal the outcome.
The Warriors cut the deficit by scoring the game's last 10 points on a triple by Kris Porter and seven straight points by Mark Cruz
The 6-foot-6 Fenner, a former star of the University of Nevada Las Vegas, finished with 21 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists, but Figueroa, a former National University Bulldog who had a stint in the KBL (Korean Basketball League), was chosen the SportsPlus best player after compiling 19 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 steals.
Ildefonso contributed 15 points, 10 in the fourth quarter, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, followed by Gonzales, with 11 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists, and Encho Serrano with 11 points and 2 assists.
Gensan, which tumbled to third place behind Caloocan (10-0) and Quezon Province (8-0), drew 18 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals from Gabo, 14 points and 6 rebounds from Anton Eusebio, 14 points, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 rebounds from Cruz, 14 points and 2 rebounds from JM Versoza, and 11 points plus 3 rebounds from Joshua Fontanilla.
Ilagan Isabela beats Pasig
The Ilagan Isabela Cowboys struck from long range and brought down Pasig City, 100-84, in the opener to halt a four-game slide and return to the upper half of the standings with a 6-5 slate.
Held to a 78-74 lead, the Cowboys bunched three triples, the first by Jayboy Solis and the next two by Kyle Paranada to pull away for good.
Solis finished with 20 points, 15 in the second half, 12 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals and was chosen the best player over Paranada, who tallied 17 points, all in the second half.
Other Cowboys who delivered were Arth Dela Cruz with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists, Allen Mina with 16 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists, and Donald Gumaru with 12 points.
The Cowboys led after the first quarter, 23-17, but Mark Maloles canned three triples and Jerome Garcia added two to power the Pasiguenos to a 46-37 halftime spread.
Back-to-back triples by Gumaru, followed by another from Mina enabled the Cowboys to regain control, 52-51, before pulling away at 73-62, after a triple by Mina and a breakaway layup by Paranada.
Pasig slid to 5-2 despite Jacob Galicia's 19 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists, Maloles' 18 points and 5 assists, and Jerome Garcia's 17 points and 3 rebounds.
The Negros Hacienderos, powered by Carl Joshua Alattica, tripped Manila Batang Quiapo, 109-103, in the nightcap for their first win in eight starts.
Alattica wound up with 24 points, 16 rebounds and 3 assists, followed by Wilson Baltazar, with 19 points and 5 rebounds, Reymar Caduyac, with 16 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks, 13 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals by DJ Howe, 11 points by Yuan Pasumbal, and 10 points by Michael Alvarez.
