Ex-pro Larry Rodriguez led the way for the Knights the entire game at a total of 19 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and one steal for the ‘Player of the Game’ title, also marking the fifth straight win for his team. John Wilson also had a great performance, with 13 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals. As for his opponents, Ryan Batino had double-digit scoring at 16 points, but none of his other teammates were able to save the Jojo Lastimosa-led team from their second loss.
San Juan Head Coach Randy Alcantara, who was also a member of the same San Juan Knights championship team during the MBA in 2000, stated that this is “a big win because [they] were able to stop Bataan’s 14-game winning streak,” stating in a mix of English and Filipino, “Our game plan was to utilize our advantage in big men because that is really our advantage over them.” Although the Knights’ opponents had 57% shooting from the free-throw line over their 38%, the big men broke the boards totalling up to 13 more rebounds than their rivals.
Bataan still remains on top of the south division of the MPBL, followed by the San Juan Knights, who are at 15 wins and three losses.
The next time the Risers will be able to redeem themselves is on December 20 as they face Rizal at Trinity University of Asia. San Juan, on the other hand, will be flying to Davao for the weekend to catch their December 18 game against the Tigers at the Rizal Memorial College Gym in Mindanao.