MANILA, Philippines, December 5 ------ Big shots by Joshua Munzon late gave NorthPort enough cushion to fend off Magnolia, 107-103, and stay perfect in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. Munzon scored 6 of his 25 points inside the final minute as the Batang Pier averted a meltdown to improve to 3-0 and seize solo lead in the standings.
Kadeem Jack led NorthPort in scoring with 30 points on top of 11 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals, Arvin Tolentino fired 27 points, while Fran Yu added 9 points, all on free throws, to go with 10 assists, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals. Jack set the tone for the Batang Pier as he dropped 21 points at halftime before Munzon, Tolentino, and Yu took turns in the endgame to deny the Hotshots’ inspired comeback.
Seeing their double-digit spread diminished to a precarious 96-95 edge, Munzon scored a four-pointer and a layup in succession to push the NorthPort lead to 102-95. Tolentino made it 104-95 with a pair of foul shots, but Magnolia fought back and uncorked an 8-1 run highlighted by 3 straight Jerom Lastimosa free throws and an Aris Dionisio triple to get within 103-105 with under 10 ticks left. Yu sank his free throws to give the Batang Pier a four-point lead, although the Hotshots still had a shot at forcing overtime due to the availability of the four-point line. It was not meant to be for the Hotshots, however, as Joseph Eriobu bungled his crack at a game-tying four-pointer, with Yu taking the ball away for the win-sealing steal.
The game proved to be a defensive masterclass for NorthPort, which forced 9 turnovers in the fourth quarter and finished with 15 steals and 7 blocks. “If we defend at a high level, I think we give ourselves a good chance to win games,” said Munzon, who also recorded a game-high 5 steals with 9 rebounds and 3 assists. Lastimosa, the Hotshots’ prized rookie who missed the season-opening Governors’ Cup, played the best game of his young career, churning out a near-triple-double of 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists.
The former Adamson star scored 5 points in a 14-2 run that pulled Magnolia within 95-96 after the Batang Pier mounted their biggest lead of the game at 94-81. But his effort went down the drain as the Hotshots absorbed their second straight loss and dropped to 1-2. Rome dela Rosa tallied 16 points, Mark Barroca posted 14 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals, while import Ricardo Ratliffe got limited to just 10 points with 13 rebounds and 2 steals.
The Scores
NorthPort 107 – Jack 30, Tolentino 27, Munzon 25, Yu 9, Nelle 5, Navarro 4, Flores 4, Onwubere 3, Bulanadi 0, Tratter 0, Miranda 0, Cuntapay 0.
Magnolia 103 – Lastimosa 27, Dela Rosa 16, Dionisio 13, Ratliffe 10, Eriobu 7, Sanaglang 6, Lucero 4, Ahanmisi 3, Abueva 3, Mendoza 0.
Quarters : 28-31, 59-52, 77-78, 107-103.
Source: rappler.com
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