THE Cebu Classic couldn’t sustain their hot start to the season, dropping their second assignment after losing to the Quezon Huskers, 45-58, in the 2025 Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) on Monday night, March 17, at the Bataan People’s Center in Balanga, Bataan.

Coming off a tight 77-76 win over the Caloocan Batang Kakaloo, Cebu struggled mightily, shootting themselves in the foot by committing 21 turnovers.

Five of Cebu’s turnovers were committed by ex-pro Rashawn McCarthy. Compounding McCarthy’s erratic game was his awful offensive showing as he finished with just five points on a dismal 2-of-10 shooting from the field.

Cebu couldn’t get its offense going as only Darell Manliguez was able to score in double figures with 10 points.

In contrast, Quezon was pretty solid on offense as it had three players finishing in double figures. Jason Opiso and Louelle Jay Gonzales led Quezon with 13 and 12 points, respectively, while Vincent Magbuhos chipped in 10.

Quezon erected a 26-19 lead at the half. It led by as many as 10 points in the third canto before Cebu cut the deficit to just five, 30-35, heading into the final stanza.

The Huskers went full throttle in the final period, pummeling Cebu with their scorching offense to build leads of as high as 17 points en route to the convincing win.

Cebu will try to get back on track when it plays the Bataan Risers on Thursday, March 20, in Manila.(CCM)

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• #Cebu Classic
• #Quezon Huskers
• #2025 Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League
• #MPBL