By Ivan Stewart Saldajeno – PNA News
MANILA — Jan Jamon came out firing in the final quarter as Pasay rallied back to turn back Mandaluyong, 74-70, in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) Datu Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay on Tuesday night.
Jamon scored back-to-back layups to complete the Voyagers’ comeback against the El Tigre.
Following a tight battle for most of the second half, Pasay found itself down, 67-70, with 1:33 to play.
Yvan Ludovice could only put up a split from the free throw line in the next play, but he made up for it with a huge steal from Jonathan Boholano and an assist to Jamon’s equalizer with 38.4 seconds left.
Ludovice again stole the ball from Boholano and found Jamon for the go-ahead layup with 27.9 seconds to go.
With no timeout left, Mandaluyong opted to go for the lead, but Jeoff Javillonar misfired on two consecutive attempts from beyond the arc and Ludovice sealed the Pasay win with two free throws.
Ludovice, who caught fire in the first half, finished with 24 points, five rebounds, eight assists, and six steals, while Jamon came up with 17 markers, 11 in the final frame, six rebounds, and two dimes for the Voyagers, who moved up to seventh place in the Northern Division at 6-8.
Josan Nimes made 13 points, four rebounds, and four assists for the El Tigre, who found themselves dropping below .500 at 6-7 as their win against the Quezon City Capitals was nullified due to free agency violations regarding the case of new signing Ronjay Buenafe. The match will be replayed at a later date, and the El Tigre will now have to deal with a six-game losing streak.
