The Mandaluyong El Tigre-Dataland walked the tightrope before surviving the Parañaque Patriots-F2 Logistics, 77-75, in the MPBL Datu Cup Wednesday night at Filoil Flying V Arena.
Ray Parks dished out another solid performance as he knocked in 26 points, on top of six assists and five rebounds to lead the El Tigre to their sixth straight win after an opening loss to cement a tie for the lead with three other squads in the Northern Division.
Mandaluyong, Manila, Bataan and San Juan, which blasted Zamboanga, 80-59, in the nightcap, each carry the same 6-1 win-loss slates.
John Wilson poured in 15 of his 23 points in the second half as the Go-For-Gold-supported Knights were able to overcome a slow start to thwart the Valientes.
The Knights outscored the Family’s Brand Sardines-sponsored Valientes in the third period, 24-10, to turn things around. San Juan held Zamboanga without a field goal for nearly a seven-minute stretch in the third period then unloaded a blistering 17-0 run to turn a close game into a rout.