MANILA, Philippines — The Pasay Voyagers returned to course with a 75-68 victory over the Ilagan Isabela Cowboys on Monday in the SportsPlus MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 2026 Season at the Paco Arena in Manila.
Christian Fajarito and Nash Enriquez joined forces in the fourth quarter to thwart the Cowboys' final assault and put the Voyagers back on track after getting derailed by Binan Tatak Gel, 77-74, last Friday.
The back-to-form Fajarito came through with a two-handed slam and a runaway drive to pad the Voyagers' lead to 72-61, while Enriquez secured their ninth win in 16 starts with a triple, 1 minute and 14 seconds left.
Enriquez posted 16 points, highlighted by a perfect 2 of 2 triple, and 8 assists to capture best player honors over Fajarito, who wound up with 11 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.
Rence Alcoriza also delivered for the Voyagers with 12 points, 3 steals and 2 rebounds, homegrown Brian Hilario with 9 points and 5 rebounds, and Edmund Dela Cruz with 8 points and 9 rebounds.
Ilagan pulled ahead, 19-11, after the first quarter, only to falter with just 6 points in the second, where Enriquez and Alcoriza combined for 13 points.
With Robby Celiz firing 6 points, the Cowboys came to within 60-66, only to be disrupted by a one-handed jam by Lean Martel.
The Cowboys fell to 9-6 despite Celiz's 17 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, Art Dela Cruz's 16 points and 7 rebounds, and Alex Cabagnot's 14 points, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 rebounds.
Alcoriza greeted the third quarter with a 6-point cluster to give Pasay its biggest spread, 42-25.
The tournament returns to the Ynares Sports Arena on Tuesday, with games between Bulacan and Rizal at 4 p.m., San Juan and Bataan at 6 p.m., and Quezon Province and host Pasig at 8 p.m.
