MANILA — Paul Sanga exploded for a season-high 38 points, highlighted by a scorching third-quarter shooting display, as the Iloilo United Royals snapped a five-game losing streak with an 81-75 victory over the Parañaque Patriots in the MPBL 2026 Season on Wednesday at the One Arena Cainta in Rizal Province.
The former Far Eastern University Tamaraws standout caught fire from beyond the arc in the pivotal third canto, where he buried six triples — including four straight bombs — to singlehandedly outgun the entire Parañaque bench, 23-15, and power Iloilo to a commanding 63-52 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Sanga finished with eight three-pointers along with six rebounds and three assists to earn Player of the Game honors as the United Royals improved to 2-8 in the round-robin elimination phase.
Trailing by as much as 15 points at 67-52 early in the final quarter, the Patriots mounted a furious comeback by clamping down defensively and limiting Iloilo to only two points over a six-minute, seven-second stretch while unloading a 16-2 blast to briefly grab a 70-69 advantage.
But Iloilo responded behind Sanga and Richard Velchez, who spearheaded a decisive 12-5 finishing run that sealed the victory and ended the Royals’ slide.
Velchez chipped in eight points, nine rebounds, and two assists, while James Sena added seven points and 11 rebounds for Iloilo, now under the guidance of coach Bonnie Garcia.
Carl Sumalacay contributed seven points and six rebounds, Jasper Longalong had seven points and two rebounds, while Alexis Himan also tallied seven markers.
Sanga said all he wanted was to make an impact on his return after sustaining a hand injury in Iloilo’s 101-96 victory over Manila on April 29 at the Baliwag Star Arena.
Parañaque, which held a 24-19 advantage in the opening quarter, absorbed its 10th consecutive defeat.
Domark Matillano paced the Patriots with 19 points, three rebounds, and two assists, while Joseph Terso added 15 points, four assists, and two rebounds./PN
