San juan: San Juan-DN Steel snapped Discovery-Rizal’s streak with a 63-58 win Sunday night in the 2025 Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (WMPBL) at the Ynares Center Montalban in Rizal province. Janine Pontejos finished with 23 points, highlighted by three triples, to go with four rebounds, four assists, and two blocks as the Lady Knights rolled to their fourth straight win for a 7-2 record and moved closer to an outright semis berth.
According to Philippines News Agency, San Juan-DN Steel also avenged its 59-81 first-round loss to Discovery-Rizal, which ended its five-game run. “We need this game, especially since the standings are so close, and so we can bounce back, especially since Discovery beat us [in the first round]. I’m so happy with the players’ effort because we didn’t rest,” Lady Knights head coach Ai Lebornio said.
From a slim 59-58 lead, two minutes remaining, the Lady Knights banked on Pontejos, Chack Cabinbin, and Dianne Pedregosa to seal the win. Hazel Panti chipped in 10 points and four rebounds, Pedregosa had nine points and six rebounds, while Stefhanie Ventura added eight points, nine rebounds, and five steals.
Raiza Palmera-Dy led Discovery-Rizal with 11 points, nine assists, eight rebounds, and six steals, while Allana Lim had eight points and 14 rebounds for Perlas, who slid to third at 5-3. San Juan-DN Steel face Tagaytay-Tol while Discovery-Rizal takes on New Zealand Bluefire-Batangas on Oct. 5 in Pangasinan.
