MANILA – Iloilo United Royals saw their winning run snapped as it bowed to Manila SV Batang Sampaloc SGA Stars, 98-74, in the 2024 MPBL Season on Wednesday night at the Villar Coliseum in Las Piñas City.
Lorenzo Navarro was a thorn in the side of his former team, the United Royals, as he tallied 22 points, including seven three-pointers, to go with nine assists, seven rebounds, and two steals for the Stars, now with a 10-4 win-loss slate.
Carl Bryan Cruz tallied a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds; Rabeh Al-Hussaini also contributed 14 markers; and Gregory Slaughter ended with 12 points for Manila.
Down 17-18 after the opening quarter, the Stars outscored the United Royals, 37-17, in the second quarter behind conversions by Navarro and Cruz to establish a 54-35 halftime lead.
The Stars leaned on inside conversions by Slaughter, Al-Hussaini, and James Sena in the third quarter to widen the lead to 64-40 before they settled for a 78-58 advantage going into the final quarter.
The United Royals managed to trim the deficit to as low as 18 points in the fourth quarter, but Navarro uncorked three straight outside shots as the Stars increased their lead to as high as 28 points.
Navarro, who was a member of the United Royals team last year, said the Stars team is slowly getting used to the system of head coach Gabby Severino, which resulted in their winning streak.
“Sobrang confident ko sa teammates ko, sa coaches ko talagang pinaghahandaan namin ang bawat laro namin,” Navarro said. “We will celebrate this win, but balik na din kami sa training kinabukasan.”
Gwyne Capacio top-scored for the United Royals with 18 points, while Shaquille Imperial and Clint Doliguez added 14 and 12, respectively, as they dropped to a 5-8 record.
Crispin John “CJ” Cansino, one of the top performers for the MC Abolucion-mentored United Royals, was not lined up for their match against the Stars./PN
BOX SCORE:
MANILA 98 – Navarro 22, Cruz 14, Al-Hussaini 14, Slaughter 12, Javelona 9, Escandor 8, Jamon 6, J. Gonzaga 4, Tempra 2, Hanapi 2, Sena 2, Umali 2, Battaller 1, T. Gonzaga 0, Flores 0.
ILOILO 74 – Capacio 18, Imperial 14, Doliguez 12, Catapusan 6, Nonoy 5, Kapunan 5, Gomez 5, Santos 4, Madrigal 3, Javelosa 2, Berjay 0, Rangel 0, Dela Rosa 0, Beltran 0, Diaz 0.
Quarterscores: 17-18, 54-35, 78-58, 98-74.
