MANILA, Philippines, January 10 ------ NorthPort finally snatched one against Barangay Ginebra after five years. The Batang Pier nailed a statement win in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup, outlasting the Gin Kings, 119-116, at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
Bonnie Tan's wards tightened their grip on top of the standings, securing their seventh win in eight games. For Tan, Wednesday's triumph shows that they can seriously compete in the PBA. "'Yung tonight's game 'no? It's a statement game for us. Everyone's questioning about 'yung status nung team, na hindi kami nananalo sa big teams, 'no. So I hope na with this win, we prove na we're here to win games," Tan said.
NorthPort established what was once an 18-point lead, but it came as no surprise that the "never say die" Gin Kings mounted a comeback. Courtesy of Troy Rosario's putback dunk, the Gin Kings finally tasted the lead in the fourth canto, 101-100, at the 7:03 mark, turning PhilSports into a home crowd off their loud fans. But William Navarro eventually stole that moment as he drained the triple later on and followed through with a layup to return the lead to the Batang Pier.
Ginebra stayed in striking distance in the next minutes of the final quarter. Brownlee even had a chance to tie the match after baiting a foul on Navarro from beyond the arc, 117-114, with eight seconds left, but failed to do so after missing the second freebie. NorthPort's Joshua Munzon also missed a free throw in the next sequence, allowing Ginebra to be within two, 118-116. But Brownlee, on a fastbreak in the next possession, slipped on the floor to turn the ball over and eventually the game. "We're here to be competitive. Hindi basta-basta na team lang," Tan stressed.
Import Kadeem Jack did what was expected of him as he tallied a game-high 32 points and 16 rebounds. That effort was backed massively by locals, led by prolific scorer Arvin Tolentino, who dropped 29 points on six treys, and Munzon who scored 27. Tim Cone and company, meanwhile, lost the chance to claim their sixth victory tonight as they fell to a 5-3 win-loss card. Brownlee concluded the contest with a 23-12 stat line, while three players in Ginebra uniform logged 17 points--Rosario, Scottie Thompson, and RJ Abarrientos.
The Scores:
NORTHPORT 119 – Jack 32, Tolentino 29, Munzon 27, Flores 9, Navarro 8, Bulanadi 5, Onwubere 4, Cuntapay 3, Yu 2, Nelle 0, Jalalon 0
GINEBRA 116 – Brownlee 23, Thompson 17, Rosario 17, Abarrientos 17, Ahanmisi 12, Holt 11, Cu 9, J.Aguilar 8, Tenorio 2
QUARTERS: 31-27, 67-58, 98-87, 119-116
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
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