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

JR Quiñahan during their game against Biñan in the MPBL. | Screengrab from the livestream

CEBU CITY, Philippines — JR Quiñahan delivered a vintage performance Thursday night, but his 31-point outburst wasn’t enough to lift the Cebu Greats past the Biñan Tatak Gel Beast Motorcycle GameX in a tight 78-81 loss in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) at the Alonte Sports Arena in Laguna.

Quiñahan took over in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 of his game-high 31 points during Cebu’s spirited comeback after trailing by as many as 16 points, 54-70, at the start of the final period.

With Jan Jamon and Mark Meneses helping fuel the rally, the Cebu Greats cut the deficit to five, 67-72.
Quiñahan then went on a personal scoring run, knocking down back-to-back jumpers to bring Cebu within one, 72-71. A key defensive stop by Jamon led to a fastbreak basket, further boosting the comeback.

But Biñan answered with Carlo Lastimosa drilling two straight three-pointers to restore a four-point cushion, 79-75. Quiñahan responded with a clutch triple of his own to make it 78-79 with just 14 seconds left.

Cebu had a golden chance to steal the win after Charles Martel intercepted a pass and started a transition play. But Paul Desiderio lost possession in a crucial moment — stripped by Kenny Roger Rocacurva, a native of Camotes Island and Biñan’s eventual “Player of the Game,” who sealed the win with a game-saving steal.

Jaymar Gimpayan then hit two free throws to peg the final score.

It was another heartbreaking loss for the Cebu Greats, who also suffered a narrow 66-69 defeat last month. They now drop to 4-14 in the standings.

Adding to Cebu’s woes was the ejection of starting point guard Jun Manzo in the second quarter. Manzo, who was orchestrating Cebu’s offense and already had seven points, was tossed after a heated exchange with Renzo Subido led to a technical foul that was upgraded to an ejection.

Quiñahan finished with 31 points, two rebounds, and two assists. Meneses notched a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, along with three blocks and two assists. Jamon added 11 points.

Biñan, now 10-7 and sitting in 12th place in the standings, had four players score in double digits. Lastimosa and Rocacurva each had 16 points, while Gimpayan tallied a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Subido chipped in 10 markers. /csl