NorthPort dictated the pace right from the get-go and went on to clobber the hapless Terrafirma once more, 133-107, to arrest a two-game slide in the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup, Sunday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The Batang Pier sprinted to a 21-4 lead before finishing the first quarter with a 33-11 advantage, the largest lead of any team after the opening frame in six years, on the way to sweeping their group stage series against the Dyip.
Arvin Tolentino starred in the victory as he finished with a rare triple-double of 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in the triumph that hiked their card to 3-3,. which forged a tie with Magnolia at no 3. in the Group A standings.
“For the past few conferences, I led the team in scoring. Gusto ko rebounds. Rebound is an effort. Assist is playing with your teammates, getting your teammates involved,” offered the 6-foot-5 winger.
Venky Jois kept his promise to Coach Bonnie Tan and returned. He top-scored for NorthPort with 26 points and 15 rebounds, together with three assists, two steals, and the same amount of blocks to submit a full line.
Another comebacking piece in William Navarro, who like Jois missed their previous game versus Magnolia due to a sprained ankle suffered against Meralco, made his presence felt with 18 points and six rebounds.
Cade Flores supplied 15 points and seven rebounds, while Jio Jalalon flirted with a triple-double as he made a 12-7-9 stat line in the conquest.
The Batang Pier will look to keep their winning ways against another team they beat in the first round in Converge on Wednesday in the same venue.
“With the win today, medyo maganda yung position namin so far,” Tolentino said. “Our target is yung mga teams below us to beat them, isa na tong Terrafirma, and try to get as many wins as possible against the higher teams.”
Christian Standhardinger, on the other hand, finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead Terrafirma although he wasn’t able to finish the game after suffering an apparent left leg injury during the closing minutes.
Rookie Didat Hanapi had 20 points. Louie Sangalang and Kevin Ferrer had 14 points each, while import Antonio Hester and Stanley Pringle added 12 and 10 markers, respectively, for a Dyip side that dropped to 0-6.
The team, though, tried to put up a fight late in the fourth when they managed to trim what was once a 28-point deficit to just 13, 109-96, behind a split from the charity stripe courtesy of Standhardinger with 7:04 on the clock.
But the wards of Coach Bonnie Tan denied their foes to get any closer, with Jois, Joshua Munzon, and Tolentino nailing buckets to restore order, 117-97, with less than five minutes left to play before cruising to the win.
Terrafirma will try to end its winless spell when it figures in another match versus the Hotshots on Thursday, also at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The Scores:
NorthPort 133 – Jois 26, Tolentino 23, Navarro 18, Flores 15, Jalalon 12, Amores 8, Onwubere 7, Munzon 6, Taha 6, Yu 5, Nelle 3, Tratter 2, Bulanadi 2, Cuntapay 0.
Terrafirma 107 – Standhardinger 22, Hanapi 20, Ferrer 14, Sangalang 14, Hester 12, Pringle 10, Hernandez 5, Ramos 5, Cahilig 5, Olivario 0.
Quarterscores: 33-11, 62-41, 96-75, 133-107.
