The GlobalPort Batang Pier have earned their biggest win in the 2018 Commissioner’s Cup, coming from behind and stunning defending champions San Miguel Beermen, 98-94, Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Batang Pier have ended their two-game slump and improved to an even 4-4 card. The Beermen, on the other hand, saw the end of their three-game winning streak and have dropped below .500 with a 3-4 record.
The locals stepped up, as they lost import Malcolm White early in the fourth due to two technical fouls, with Stanley Pringle – still fresh from the FIBA 3X3 World Cup 2018 – leading the pack with 22 points, eight dimes, and six boards.
“Motivation sa amin yung pagkawala ni Malcolm White,” said Globalport head coach Pido Jarencio. “Positive talaga for the team na nawala import tapos nagbigay energy sa mga ibang players. This is a big win for us.”
Pringle had been nothing but pivotal for the Batang Pier, especially in the final frame. He scored six in their 14-7 run that tied the game at 86-all, and his pass to Nico Elorde led to a triple and gave them a 95-92 lead with 48.1 ticks left.
“Credit to the players at the same time si Nico Elorde making that three-point shot. Di maganda laro niya the whole game pero he hit the big shot grabe,” lauded Jarencio of Elorde, who finished with six points, seven rebounds, and five feeds.
When the Beermen closed within a point with 37 seconds left, Pringle stepped up on defense, stripping the ball away from Alex Cabagnot. That led to a Mo Tautuaa bucket which lifted GlobalPort to a 97-94 lead with 19.7 seconds to go.
Elorde then split his charities with 9.1 seconds left to finish off the Beermen.
White emerged as GlobalPort’s top scorer with 25 points along with 10 rebounds. Sean Anthony was just a rebound short of a double-double, chipping in 11 markers with nine rebounds and five assists.
Renaldo Balkman led San Miguel with 33 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, four steals, and four blocks. June Mar Fajardo had 20 points and eight caroms, while Alex Cabagnot poured 19 markers with three dimes and two steals.
GlobalPort will next face the Phoenix Fuel Masters on June 20 next Wednesday, 4:30 PM at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, while San Miguel will have their hands full versus the TNT Katropa this Saturday, June 16, 6:45 PM still at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Scores:
Globalport 98 – White 25, Pringle 22, Guinto 9, Tautuaa 8, Grey 7, Elorde 6, Nabong 3, Teng 3, Javelona 2, Sargent 2.
San Miguel 94 – Balkman 33, Fajardo 20, Cabagnot 19, Santos 10, Lassiter 6, Ross 6, Ganuelas-Rosser 0, Heruela 0, Mamaril 0, Pessumal 0, Standhardinger 0.
Quarterscores: 23-27, 47-51, 71-79, 98-94.
