Quezon Holds Off Biñan in Nail-Biter to Take Game 1 of MPBL South Finals
The Quezon Huskers survived a late surge from the Biñan Tatak Gel Beast Motorcycle Tires GameX to secure a hard-fought 57–55 victory in Game 1 of the 2025 MPBL South Division Finals on Monday night at the Quezon Convention Center.
Biñan nearly forced overtime in the final second, but Marc Pingris missed an open look inside with 1.1 seconds left, allowing the defending South Division champions to escape with the win.
Huskers Control Early, Weather Biñan’s Final Push
Quezon opened the game with a dominant 10–0 run and carried a 19–12 lead after the first quarter. Though Biñan briefly surged ahead at 20-19 behind a Kenny Roger Rocacurva‘s free-throw, homegrown guard Emman Tagle responded with three timely three-pointers to restore momentum 30-20. A late layup by Will Gozum sent Quezon into halftime holding a 32–28 lead.
The Huskers tightened their defense in the third quarter, limiting Biñan to just 10 points. Ximone Sandagon delivered the period’s biggest highlights—a right-handed slam and a buzzer-beating tip-in—to extend the lead to 50–38 entering the fourth.
Quezon’s advantage grew to 54–46 before Biñan mounted a last-minute comeback. The visitors outscored the Huskers 9–3 in the final four minutes, with Pingris scoring Biñan’s last four points. But despite trimming the lead to 54–53, Biñan fell short after missing the potential game-tying inside shot.
Judel Fuentes spearheaded Quezon’s offense with 13 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Sandagon added 11 points and three rebounds, while Tagle finished with nine points—all scored from three-point range during his pivotal second-quarter outburst.
LJay Gonzales, the best player of the game, tallied six points, eight rebounds, and 5 assists.
For Biñan, Warren Bonifacio led the way with 13 points and nine rebounds. Pingris chipped in nine points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Rocacurva added seven points, six boards, and two assists.
Team Statistics
- Field Goal Shooting: Quezon 20/60 (33%), Biñan 19/61 (31%)
- Rebounds: Quezon 45–43
- Assists: Quezon 12–9
- Steals: Biñan 6–5
- Blocks: Biñan 4–1
- Turnover Points: Biñan scored 15 off Quezon’s 11 turnovers; Quezon scored 9 off Biñan’s 9 turnovers
Next Game
Game 2 of the best-of-five South Division Finals tips off on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., at the Lucena Convention Center.
The Scores:
Quezon 57 – Fuentes 13, Sandagon 11, Tagle-Hg, Gonzales 6, Magbubos 6, Banal 5, Gozum 3, Gabayni 2, Opiso 1, Marasigan 1, Pagaran 0, Gravera 0, Lagrama 0, Abundo 0, Yerro 0.
Biñan 55 – Bonifacio 13, Pingris 9, Rocacurva 7, Lastimosa 6, Peñaredondo 5, Maestre 5, Subido 4, Lopez 3, Pido 2, Gimpayan 1, Hernandez 0, Ballesteros 0, Sual 0.
Quarter Scores: 19-12, 32-28, 50-38, 57-55.
