by JUSTIN VALENCIA
PASAY stunned Batangas City and cruised to its second straight win, 72-61, on Monday in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) Lakan Cup at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
Dhon Reverente led the Voyagers with a monster double-double of 26 points, 15 rebounds alongside four steals, while Raymund Ilagan chipped in 15 markers.
Pasay outscoring the Athletics in the third quarter, 24-11, proved to be the difference as the two squads went back and forth in the fourth, not enough to spark a comeback for Batangas.
With Pasay leading 15-9 in the first frame, Batangas unleashed a furious 21-2 rally, capped by Arvin Tolentino's drive at the 6:02 mark of the second quarter, to build a 30-17 margin.
But the Voyagers answered with a 23-5 run bridging into the third, with Reverente punching in 13 points, to retake the lead, 40-35.
Pasay capitalized on Batangas' 25 errors, converting it into 39 turnover points.
The win pushed the Voyagers back to .500 with a 5-5 win-loss card while Batangas slid to 3-2.
Jeff Viernes tallied 17 points, four rebounds and four steals for the Tanduay-backed Athletics.
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