MANILA, Philippines — The Paranaque Patriots banked on Marlon Monte to stun the Imus Yangkee, 102-96, on Friday and end their frustration in the SportsPlus MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 2026 Season at the One Arena Cainta in Rizal Province.
Monte poured in a season-high 34 points, 18 in the pivotal third quarter, as Paranaque tallied its first victory after a string of 13 losses in the round-robin elimination phase of the double-round robin tournament.
Flashing his old deadly form, Monte drilled in 8 of 13 triple attempts, 3 of 7 field goals and 4 of 4 free throws, to go with 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in 17 minutes and 19 seconds of play to earn the SportsPlus best player honors over Domark Matillano, who posted 17 points, 11 rebounds and 3 steals.
Samuel Peralta provided support with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, Jomar Santos with 12 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists, Jobert Medina with 9 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, and Ryusei Koha, with 5 points, 11 assists and 2 steals.
Carried by Monte's precise shooting, the Patriots nailed 15 of 37 triple tries for 40.5 percent conversion, compared to the Yangkees' 4 of 31 for 12.9 percent.
Imus tumbled to 2-10 despite Eroll Soriano's 24 points and 8 rebounds, Jordan Rios' 21 points, 15 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists; Regie Boy Basibas' 17 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists; Joseph Mark Marquez's 14 points, 15 rebounds and 3 assists, and Janjan Salazar's 13 points, 12 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals.
Marikina won by forfeiture over Iloilo United Royals in the second game and improved to 5-8.
Iloilo fell to 2-8. Under FIBA rules, the official score is 20-0.
The MPBL returns to the One Arena Cainta on Saturday, featuring games between Binan and Zamboanga at 4 p.m., Caloocan and Mindoro at 6 p.m., and Batangas and Negros at 8 p.m. TMT
