Manila and Pampanga carved out contrasting wins on Wednesday night to bolster their chances in the playoffs of the MPBL Datu Cup.
The host squad, powered by Robust Energy Capsule, surprisingly waylaid fellow powerhouse squad Mandaluyong, 92-73, in the main game.
What was expected to be a close affair turned out to be one-sided match as the Stars opened up the third period with a blistering 13-0 run to pull away, 56-43.
Manila held Mandaluyong without a field goal for nearly eight minutes during that stretch as the home team made life miserable on its rival, particularly on Ray Parks, who despite finishing with a double-double effort of 15 points and 11 rebounds, was hardly a factor all game long.
Manila improved its win-loss record to 8-2, firming up its hold on solo third spot, just half a game behind co-leaders Bataan and San Juan in the team standings of the northern division of this tournament put up by Senator Manny Pacquiao, with PBA legend and former league MVP Kenneth Duremdes serving as commissioner.
The Stars also dealt the Dataland-backed El Tigre their first back-to-back losses in the tournament. Mandaluyong, which lost to Basilan last time around, dropped into a tie for fifth spot with the Bulacan Kuyas-Mighty Sports at 6-3.
Pampanga fashioned out a much-needed 97-94 win over Quezon City in the first game.
A game after he recorded the most points scored by a player in a game, Juneric Baloria tallied 35 points to become the first player in the young history of the league to score back-to-back 30-plus points.
Another productive night from Baloria also resulted in a more inspired game from the rest of the Lanterns, supported by Rep. Dong Gonzales as Allen Enriquez contributed 21 markers and eight boards while Marlon Gomez chipped in 11 and seven rebounds for Pampanga, which improved its win-loss record to 4-6.
Quezon City, which is being supported by Black Mamba, absorbed its fifth loss in seven games.