The PBA Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals continued on Thursday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. At the end of hostilities, the NorthPort Batang Pier and TNT Tropang Giga found themselves headed to the semis.
NorthPort Survives Magnolia Behind Second-Half Rally
The NorthPort Batang Pier rallied past the Magnolia Hotshots to secure a thrilling 113-110 come-from-behind triumph and book the first semis seat.
NorthPort turned things around in the third, outscoring Magnolia 36-15 to erase a 14-point deficit and set up a thrilling finish. The Batang Pier looked headed for a rout in the fourth, zooming to a 101-87 advantage behind the hot hands of Arvin Tolentino and some smothering defense. But Paul Lee exploded for 12 points anchored two four-pointers in the last five minutes. He even had a shot to give Magnolia the lead at 113-110 with another four-pointer that just rimmed out.
Kadeem Jack was once again stellar for NorthPort, putting up 30 points, 10 rebounds, 5 steals, and 3 blocks. Arvin Tolentino added 25, while William Navarro chipped in 15. Mark Barroca led the way for Magnolia with a playoff career-high 26, followed by the 22 points and 19 rebounds of import Ricardo Ratliffe. Lee finished with 22.
The Scores :
NorthPort (113) – Jack 30, Tolentino 25, Navarro 15, Nelle 12, Bulanadi 12, Flores 10, Munzon 5, Yu 4, Tratter 0, Taha 0.
Magnolia (110) – Barroca 26, Ratliffe 22, Lee 22, Lucero 13, Sangalang 7, Dionisio 6, Abueva 6, Lastimosa 4, Dela Rosa 4, Alfaro 0, Ahanmisi 0
TNT Turns Back Eastern, Roars to Semis
The TNT Tropang Giga exacted revenge on Hong Kong Eastern to notch a 109-93 rout seal their own semis slot.
After a tight first half, TNT started imposing its will in the third, outscoring Eastern by six to build an 80-73 lead heading to the payoff canto. The Tropa turned up the pressure even more, eventually building their first double-digit lead and rolling to the easy endgame.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson strengthened his bid for another PBA Best Import award with 31 points and 15 rebounds to anchor the TNT attack. Rey Nambatac, Jayson Castro, Poy Erram, and Calvin Oftana backstopped RHJ with 18, 16, 15, and 12, respectively. Hayden Blankley carried the fight for Eastern with 24 points, while Cameron Clark, reactivated just in time for the quarters, added 16.
The Scores:
TNT (109) – Hollis-Jefferson 31, Nambatac 18, Erram 15, Castro 16, Oftana 12, Pogoy 6, Williams 6, Aurin 4, Khobuntin 1
Eastern (93) – Blankley 24, Clark 16, Yang 14, Lam 11, Chan 9, Zhu 8, Guinchard 5, Xu 4, Cao 2, Leung 0
PBA Commissioner’s Cup Quarterfinals Continue
The PBA Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals continue later today at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium with a pair of Game 2s. Barangay Ginebra San Miguel will take on the Meralco Bolts in the curtain raiser, while the Converge FiberXers face off against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the nightcap.
