Northport kept its playoff hopes alive after snapping a six-game losing skid with a narrow 95-92 victory over Phoenix in the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, Thursday night.
Neither team couldn’t find a way to gain enough separation from the other as the game went down the wire in the fourth quarter.
Up 94-92 with 4.5 seconds left, Robert Bolick was fouled and eventually put the finishing touches on the game after splitting his chances from the charity stripe. A last-gasp three-point attempt by Jason Perkins couldn’t find the bottom of the net as the Batang Pier escaped with a slim victory.
“Siguro it’s about time kahit papano — kahit breaks of the game — a win is a win,” claimed Northport head coach Pido Jarencio. “I’m proud of this group, mga players kahit na-iinjure, lumalaban tapos it’s a total team effort. Everybody’s doing their share. Itong panalong ‘to para sa Northport fans, PBA fans… happy kami at nanalo kami today.”
Roi Sumang spearheaded the Batang Pier with 18 points, eight assists, and five rebounds while Kevin Ferrer also added 18 markers to go with six rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
In his first game back after missing two straight contests due to an ankle injury, Bolick produced 17 points, eight assists, and five rebounds to pace his team to its third win of the conference.
Northport (3-6) will look to sustain its momentum against Barangay Ginebra (6-3) on Sunday, July 17, at the Big Dome.
Meanwhile, Matthew Wright topscored for the Super LPG Fuel Masters with 20 points, nine rebounds, and three assists against four turnovers in almost 37 minutes of action.
Sean Anthony chipped in 17 points, six rebounds, two assists, and a steal while Tyler Tio supplied 15 points, three boards, and an assist of his own.
Phoenix (2-7) will aim to break out of its slump against Converge (4-5) on Saturday, July 16, at 7:15 PM at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Scores:
NorthPort 95 – Sumang 18, Ferrer 18, Bolick 17, Malonzo 16, Santos 13, Balanza 6, Ayaay 5, Calma 2, Taha 0, Dela Cruz 0.
Phoenix 92 – Wright 20, Anthony 17, Tio 15, Mocon 14, Lalata 12, Perkins 9, Jazul 3, Rios 2, Muyang 0, Garcia 0, Pascual 0, Serrano 0.
Quarterscores: 21-28; 44-45; 69-71; 95-92.
—
The second game of each PBA gameday is live-streamed on SMART Sports.
