Stephen Holt saved the day as Terrafirma weathered NorthPort, 110-108, for win no. 5 in the PBA Philippine Cup, Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The 2023 no. 1 pick broke the 108-all deadlock with a nifty drive to the hoop with 3.1 seconds left to play, and the Dyip would prevent Arvin Tolentino from tying the game afterwards to seal the victory and inch closer to the quarterfinals.
Holt finished with all-around numbers of 22 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and four steals as his side improved to 5-5 in the team standings.
It is the first time that the franchise notched five wins in a conference under head coach Johnedel Cardel, who has been at the helm since 2018.
“Effort lang talaga ng mga players. They all want to improve naman ‘yung wins namin. Lagi na lang four eh,” said the seasoned bench tactician.
Thanks to Holt, Terrafirma managed to pull through despite losing Juami Tiongson after getting his sixth foul with 24.6 seconds left to play against Tolentino, leading to the latter’s free throws that tied the game at 108-all.
Tiongson left the match with 21 points behind an efficient 8-of-14 clip from the floor, two rebounds, and six assists against seven turnovers.
But it was also the collective effort that enabled the Dyip to hack out the crucial win, with rookie Louie Sangalang tallying a season-high 19 points.
Javi Gomez de Liano made 14 points and seven rebounds, while Isaac Go chipped in 10 as all starters finished in double figures in the triumph.
Terrafirma will play Magnolia for its final elimination round game on May 3 at the Philsports Arena, keen on winning it to secure a spot in the quarters.
“Sobrang thankful kami. We have a chance now to get into the quarterfinals, so gagrab na namin ‘to. We will start in practice,” Cardel said.
Tolentino, on the other hand, had a game-high 25 points and seven rebounds for NorthPort, who lost its fifth game in a row and dropped to 4-6.
Cade Flores had 18 points on 8-of-8 shooting from the field. William Navarro made 17 points while Allyn Bulanadi added 14 in the defeat.
The Batang Pier will try to keep their hopes alive against the struggling Blackwater on Saturday, April 27, 3 p.m. at the Caloocan Sports Complex.
The Scores:
Terrafirma 110 – Holt 22, Tiongson 21, Sangalang 19, Gomez de Liano 14, Go 10, Carino 9, Alolino 7, Cahilig 6, Ramos 2, Camson 0, Calvo 0.
NorthPort 108 – Tolentino 25, Flores 18, Navarro 17, Bulanadi 14, Zamar 10, Lucero 9, Munzon 7, PChan 5, araiso 3, Cuntapay 0, Yu 0.
Quarterscores: 27-22, 54-55, 88-78, 110-108.
