Arvin Tolentino flirted with a triple-double as NorthPort sent Terrafirma skidding by way of a 97-75 rout in a rousing commencement to its PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup campaign, Saturday evening at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The star forward was just two rebounds shy of notching the rare statistical feat as he finished with 19 points, eight boards, and 12 assists to lead the way in the Batang Pier’s dominant start to their journey toward sustained success.
It could be recalled that Coach Bonnie Tan & Co. finished as the no. 1 seed and made it all the way to the Commissioner’s Cup semifinals, only to absorb a gentleman’s sweep at the hands of eventual runners-up Ginebra.
And so, there was no better way to kick-start their drive toward the goal they’ve set for than opening their conference with a dominant W, which in the process enabled them to complete a season sweep of the Dyip as well.
(C) PBA Images
“There’s always room for improvement kahit ano pa ma-achieve mo,” said Tolentino, who also had a steal and a block. “Last conference nga we reached the semis, so that’s a big boost to our confidence in this Philippine Cup.”
“That made us believe na kaya namin makipag-compete against the best of the best. Although we lost to Ginebra, that’sa good achievement for us,” he added. “Hopefully ma-carry namin ‘yung confidence namin na ‘yun.”
Four other players finished in double figures in the win, with William Navarro finishing with his own double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Joshua Munzon made 15 points while Sidney Onwubere and Allyn Bulanadi chipped in 10 apiece as the balanced attack was thanks to their 27 assists.
“As a team, we had 27 assists so that’s good. That’s also one thing na wino-work namin, sharing the ball,” said the newly-minted BPC.
NorthPort will next take on Rain or Shine in a clash of Commissioner’s Cup semi-finalists on Wednesday, April 16, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
(C) PBA Images
CJ Catapusan, meanwhile, had 16 points to lead Terrafirma, which fell to its second loss in a row after an opening day win against Phoenix.
Kevin Ferrer had 15 points, while Louie Sangalang and Brent Paraiso added 10 each for the Dyip, who went down early in the match and stared at a 24-13 deficit after the first 12 minutes, then trailed by as big as 24 points.
Terrafirma (1-2) will head into a lengthy break ahead before welcoming the debuting Kings on April 23, Wednesday, also at the Big Dome.
The Scores:
NorthPort 97 – Tolentino 19, Navarro 18, Munzon 15, Bulanadi 10, Onwubere 10, Cuntapay 8, Yu 6, Nelle 6, Flores 3, Taha 2, Miranda 0, Tratter 0, Nava 0.
Terrafirma 75 – Catapusan 16, Ferrer 15, Sangalang 10, Paraiso 10, Nonoy 9, Melecio 3, Ramos 3, Pringle 2, Hernandez 2, Romeo 2, Olivario 2, Zaldivar 1, Hanapi 0.
Quarterscores: 24-13, 47-38, 70-58, 97-75.
