Quiñahan drops 31, but Cebu falls short vs. Biñan in MPBL thriller

JR Quiñahan scored a game-high 31 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter, but the Cebu Greats fell short against the Biñan Tatak Gel, losing 78-81 in the MPBL at Alonte Sports Arena. Trailing by 16 points (54-70) entering the final period, Cebu mounted a comeback led by Quiñahan, Jan Jamon, and Mark Meneses.

The Greats cut the deficit to one point (72-71) after Quiñahan hit consecutive jumpers and Jamon made a basket following a defensive stop. However, Biñan's Carlo Lastimosa responded with two straight three-pointers to push the lead back to four (79-75). Quiñahan hit a clutch three-pointer to bring Cebu within one (78-79) with 14 seconds remaining.

Cebu had a chance to win after Charles Martel intercepted a pass, but Paul Desiderio lost possession when Kenny Roger Rocacurva (a Camotes Island native and Biñan's Player of the Game) stole the ball. Jaymar Gimpayan then made two free throws to seal the 81-78 win for Biñan.

This marks another close loss for the Cebu Greats, dropping their record to 4-14. Their struggles were compounded by the ejection of starting point guard Jun Manzo in the second quarter following a heated exchange with Renzo Subido that resulted in a technical foul upgraded to an ejection.

Quiñahan finished with 31 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists. Meneses recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Jamon added 11 points. Biñan (now 10-7) had four double-digit scorers: Lastimosa and Rocacurva each scored 16 points, Gimpayan had a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds, and Subido added 10 points.