NORTHPORT guard Fran Yu swiped the ball from Magnolia forward Joseph Eriobu who was about to launch a four-point try as the precious seconds dwindled last night.
Thanks to an endgame defensive gem, the Batang Pier outlasted the Hotshots 107-103 for their third straight win in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.
The 5-foot-10 Yu tapped the leather to NorthPort’s court and pumped his fists as he ran freely to the delight of the whole Batang Pier on the bench.
NorthPort assistant coach Rensy Bajar, who spoke in lieu of coach Bonnie Tan, said their charges’ running attack spelled the big difference against the deliberate game of Magnolia.
“Kailangan lang, No. 1 is maging consistent talaga kami especially sa aming game plan. Ang nagpanalo sa amin dito ay iyong defense then plus factor iyong fast break points namin,” Bajar said. “Iyon talaga ang gusto namin na ma-achieve sa game na ito—to outrun Magnolia.
“If we play mostly with set plays against Magnolia, we have a disadvantage. We get our advantage on fast break points. Make stops and outrun Magnolia,” he added.
Import Kadeem Jack notched a game-high 30 points, on top of 11 rebounds for the Batang Pier, while Arvin Tolentino provided the local spunk with 27 markers and four boards.
Joshua Munzon also had 25 points, nine caroms, four assists, and five steals as NorthPort did an encore to a 113-101 victory over Terrafirma last Saturday and rose to 3-0 in the mid-season tilt.
The Hotshots absorbed their second straight loss, counting a numbing 91-93 setback at the hands of the Converge FiberXers last Sunday for a 1-2 slate.
The Batang Pier took a 59-52 lead at the halfway mark, but Magnolia battled back and grabbed a 78-77 cushion entering the final 12 minutes.
An Evan Nelle layup padded NorthPort’s edge to as much as 94-81 before the Batang Pier thwarted a gutsy comeback bid by Magnolia.
Aris Dionisio banged in a triple that pulled the Hotshots to within 103-105, only 9.0 ticks to go that proved too little, too late.
Rookie Jerom Lastimosa dazzled with a career-best 27 points that he laced with eight rebounds and eight dimes while Rome Dela Rosa added 16 markers for Magnolia.
Mark Barroca, Dionisio, and reinforcement Ricardo Ratliffe also got 14, 13, and 10, respectively for the Hotshots.
The onus now is for the Batang Pier to sustain their fast start.
