The early leaders of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup looked to continue their pristine start to the midseason in Wednesday’s doubleheader at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. However, only one team accomplished that task and the other was ambushed.
Here is a recap of the action:
Northport Scrapes Past Magnolia to Remain Perfect
Ranged against a playoff team for the first time in this PBA Commissioner’s Cup, the Northport Batang Pier made sure to raise their game accordingly, dealing the Magnolia Hotshots a 107-103 defeat in a closely fought game.
The Batang Pier actually looked on their way to a rout after a 17-3 run early in the fourth turned a 78-77 disadvantage into a 94-81 cushion. But the Hotshots unleashed a 14-2 run of their own, getting to within 96-95 with seconds remaining. Sidney Onwubere, however, blocked Ricardo Ratliffe’s potential go-ahead stab underneath, and Joshua Munzon converted a four-pointer thereafter to all but seal the deal.
Munzon came away with 25 points and 5 steals. Kadeem Jack led the way for Northport with 30 points and 11 boards, while Arvin Tolentino added 27. Jerom Lastimosa paced Magnolia with 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists, but Ratliffe was limited to just 10.
With the win, the Batang Pier moved up to 3-0 to top the standings of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup. The Hotshots fell to 1-2.
The Scores:
- NorthPort 107 – Jack 30, Tolentino 27, Munzon 25, Yu 9, Nelle 5, Navarro 4, Flores 4, Onwubere 3
- Magnolia 103 – Lastimosa 27, Dela Rosa 16, Barroca 14, Dionisio 13, Ratliffe 10, Eriobu 7, Sangalang 6, Lucero 4, Ahanmisi 3, Abueva 3
Rain or Shine Stops Cold-Shooting Eastern
Now with the import coach Yeng Guiao has wanted all along, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters looked back on track on Wednesday, turning back erstwhile unbeaten Hong Kong Eastern, 99-81, in the nightcap.
The Elasto Painters took advantage of Eastern’s early shooting struggles, building a nine-point lead by halftime as Hayden Blankley, Kobey Lam, and Cameron Clark kept misfiring. Eastern, though, powered back in the third and cut the Rain or Shine deficit to one. But Guiao’s wards kept their composure and continued keeping the visitors at bay—before finally breaking them in the fourth.
Deon Thompson, Guiao’s preferred reinforcement, scored 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in his debut for Rain or Shine. Santi Santillan added 18 markers, while Datu and Tiongson had 10 apiece. Clark recovered nicely in the second half for Eastern to finish with a game-high 30 points. Blankley, however, was limited to 7 markers on a woeful 1-for-15 clip from the field.
Rain or Shine evened its record to 1-1 with the win. Eastern, on the other hand, dropped to 2-1.
The Scores:
- Rain or Shine 99 – Thompson 21, Santillan 18, Datu 10, Tiongson 10, Nocum 8, Ildefonso 8, Caracut 7, Belga 5, Clarito 4, Lemetti 3, Asistio 3, Demusis 2
- Eastern 81 – Clark 30, Cheung 11, Sheik 11, Cao 9, Blankley 7, Lam 6, Zhu 5, Guinchard 2
The PBA Commissioner’s Cup Continues
The PBA Commissioner’s Cup will take a break this Thursday but return with a slam-bang double-header on Friday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. The first game will see the Meralco Bolts take on the Terrafirma Dyip, while the second game will have the TNT Tropang Giga testing Eastern.
