NorthPort repelled a series of Magnolia rallies and came away with a 107-103 decision for its third win in as many games in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup, Wednesday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Free throws by Fran Yu with 8.3 seconds left to play and his key strip from the four-hunting Joseph Eriobu enabled the Batang Pier to clinch the win after the Hotshots got to within just two from a 104-95 deficit inside the final 29.2.
Coach Bonnie Tan’s wards have now taken the provisional lead in the standings with a pristine record by beating the perennial contenders for the first time in three seasons, which was their primary motivation entering the game.
“Ayun talaga ‘yung motivation namin,” said lead assistant Rensy Bajar, whose team last won against Magnolia in the 2022 Governors’ Cup – a 103-101 result powered by a 42-point performance from import Jamel Artis.
Kadeem Jack top-scored for NorthPort with a game-high 30 points and 11 rebounds, which he laced with two steals and two blocks. Arvin Tolentino finished with 27 points, 10 of which he made in the fourth quarter.
Joshua Munzon delivered arguably his best performance with the Batang Pier as he tallied 25 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and five steals.
Yu, on the other hand, went 0-for-7 from the field but went a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line. He finished with nine points, alongside four rebounds, 10 assists, and four steals in 31 minutes in a solid job quarterbacking the unit.
Tolentino, Munzon, and Yu all played key roles in helping NorthPort get its act together after a lethargic third-quarter showing got them behind, 78-77.
Together, the trio joined hands for a 10-0 run to open the final period to capture the 87-78 lead. Jack and Evan Nelle then came into the fray to push the gap to a double-digit spread once more, 94-81, with 5:15 remaining.
But Magnolia refused to throw in the towel, coming back with a flurry of their own behind the troika of Eriobu, Jerom Lastimosa, and Aris Dionisio.
They cut the deficit to only a hair strand, 96-95, with 1:46 on the clock.
They had a chance to get ahead but Sidney Onwubere blocked the attempt of Ricardo Ratliffe. That then led to a gutsy pull-up from the four-point area by Munzon to stretch their lead to 100-95 with 49.6 seconds to go.
Munzon would also nail a lay-up off the break following a jump ball brought about by a successful challenge by Tan on a supposed foul on Eriobu. Tolentino then went 2-of-2 from the charity stripe to make it a 104-95 lead.
The Hotshots pulled off one last attempt that saw Dionisio cap off an 8-0 run with a three to make it a two-point game.
Then Yu happened.
“They made some big blocks. Big blocks. Arvin made a big block. Sidney made a big block. Fran was getting steals too. Fran was a big part of the defense. I mean, I think that’s our identity,” said Munzon as his team had 15 steals.
“If we defend at the high level, I think we give ourselves a good chance to win games,” added the top overall pick of the 2021 draft class.
NorthPort will look to make it four straight as it battles Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and TNT on Sunday, December 8, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
Lastimosa, on the other hand, top-scored for Magnolia with a conference-high 27 points in the loss that sent the squad to their second defeat in a row.
Rome Dela Rosa had 16 points. Mark Barroca had 14 points and seven assists, while Dionisio and Ratliffe added 13 and 10, respectively.
The team missed Paul Lee due to a chest contusion he suffered in their loss to Converge.
The Hotshots will look to arrest their skid against the Tropang Giga next Wednesday, December 11, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium as well.
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.
Quarterscores: 28-31, 59-52, 77-78, 107-103.
