In a game of two halves, GlobalPort managed to pull through in the end. Their slash brothers Terrence Romeo and Stanley Pringle got 29 and 27 points respectively. On the other hand, NLEX had two players claim double-doubles in Asi Taulava (29 points, 12 rebounds) and Sean Anthony (12 points, 12 rebounds).
The GlobalPort Batang Pier defeated the NLEX Road Warriors 96-90 in the Smart Bro PBA Philippine Cup 2015-16 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
GlobalPort set the pace early in the game as they raced to a 17-8 lead in the first quarter. Stanley Pringle’s free throws stretched GlobalPort’s lead to 19-10, but Sean Anthony responded off-the-glass to cut the deficit to 16-20. Billy Mamaril and Jay Washington then scored to end the first quarter 24-16 in favor of GlobalPort.
A Keith Jensen Free throw and Pringle goal tend gave GlobalPort a 29-19 in the third quarter. NLEX answered back via four straight points from Asi Taulava to cut GlobalPort’s lead to 27-33, but Romeo hit form to restore GlobalPort’s edge to 44-31. Two consecutive threes from Jensen and Romeo rewarded GlobalPort with a 50-33 advantage, and four technical free throws from both players granted Batang Pier a 54-35 edge over NLEX at halftime.
Halfway through the third quarter, Pringle made a trey to maintain GlobalPort’s dominance at 68-51. Jensen later drove to the basket and extended GlobalPort’s command over NLEX at 73-55. Undeterred, Taulava and Enrico Villanueva trimmed GlobalPort’s lead to eleven, and a trey from Jonas Villanueva narrowed the deficit to single digits at 67-75. Mac Cardona then drove to basket to cut it to only seven points going into the fourth quarter, with the score at 77-70 in favor of GlobalPort.
Taulava sliced GlobalPort’s lead to 72-77 at the start of the fourth quarter, but a Pringle corner three reinstated a ten-point advantage for the Batang Pier, 82-72. Nonetheless, a 6-0 run by NLEX, capped by a Jonas Villanueva layup, cropped GlobalPort’s lead to 78-82.
It was see-saw basketball at that point, and Anthony attacked the rim to give NLEX an 86-90 edge at 2:30 to go in the fourth quarter. Taulava then split his free throws to cut GlobalPort’s lead to 87-90. A three point play by Alas provided more initiative for NLEX to complete a comeback.
Nevertheless, free throws from Mamaril and Romeo secured the game for GlobalPort, and they held on to win 96-90.
It was the fifth (5-3) win for GlobalPort this season, and the result secured them a slot in the post-season. On the other hand, NLEX received their fourth loss and are now level in the standings with Barangay Ginebra at 4-4.
Up next for GlobalPort are the struggling Meralco Bolts on December 9, 2015 (Wednesday 4:15PM) at the Cuneta Astrodome. Likewise, NLEX will face the San Miguel Beermen at the same game date and venue in 7:00PM game.
The Scores:
GlobalPort (96) – Romeo 29, Pringle 27, Jensen 14, Mamaril 9, Kramer 7, Washington 6, Pena 2, Sumang 2, Maierhofer 0, Semerad 0, Taha 0, Yeo 0.
NLEX (90) – Taulava 29, Anthony 17, Villanueva J. 10, Alas 9, Cardona 8, Villanueva E. 8, Khobuntin 5, Enciso 2, Lanete 2, Arboleda 0, Borboran 0, Reyes 0.
Quarterscores: 24-16, 54-35, 77-70, 96-90.
