BOWLES’ MONSTER GAME NETS PUREFOODS 3RD WIN IN A ROW
DENZEL Bowles’ fiery show continues to stoke Purefoods Star’s drive.
Like Tuesday, when Bowles put on a blistering third quarter show to help power the Hotshots to a 103-96 victory over Barako Bull in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Bowles bucked foul trouble and scored 21 of his 34 points on 6-for-9 field shooting while grabbing five of his 17 rebounds in the crucial period, giving Purefoods the momentum that helped it survive what was otherwise a poor finish.
The former Best Import awardee would only score a point the rest of the way and would even miss a monster jam, but the Hotshots still stretched their lead to a high of 94-78 before going on to notch a third straight win that jacked their overall record to 7-3.
Joe Devance added 15, Allein Maliksi came off the bench for 13 and the likes of Marc Pingris, Mick Pennisi and Justin Melton also made some crucial shots as the defending champions stayed on course for a top two finish in the 11-game eliminations.
Another win against Meralco on Friday and the Hotshots can realize their goal that carries with it a win-once advantage reward in the quarterfinals.
“I thought our team showed real grit the whole night,” said Purefoods coach Tim Cone after the game which came on the heels of a triple overtime win over Talk N Text last Saturday in Davao City. “I thought it’s a good game for us, coming from out-of-town triple overtime game. The guys off the bench played well. That’s the kind of stuff that really helps you win in the playoffs.”
Solomon Alabi netted 29 points and 19 rebounds while Chico Lanete, JC Intal and Sol Mercado also finished in double figures, yet Barako still dropped its fourth straight game and was relegated to ninth on a 4-6 slate.
But not after giving Purefoods one big scare.
The Energy closed in to within 92-97 after pressuring the Hotshots into committing five turnovers and missing six of seven shots during a five-minute stretch. Intal, meanwhile, led the way with seven points during that 14-3 flurry.
All Barako Bull’s hopes were dashed, however, when Pingris drained a baseline jumper that sparked a 6-4 windup, enough to give Purefoods the win.
“We got sloppy there in the end… we couldn’t defend,” noted Cone.
To avoid missing out on the playoffs, the Energy must win over NLEX and hope it would be enough to include them among the top eight advancing to the next round.
It sure looked like Barako Bull would not be in such a bind if not for Bowles, who picked up his fourth foul with still 3:51 left in the third canto with his team barely ahead 65-62.
But instead of being stymied, that seemed to fire Bowles up even more as he scored 10 straight points, including a surprise triple from the right corner, that lifted his team to an 81-72 bulge, going to the final frame.
Maliksi then scored seven of his 13 points and Pennisi, the fourth active player still playing in the league at the age of 40, completed a three-point play, giving Purefoods its 16-point cushion, 6:24 to go.
Four of the game’s 11 deadlocks were forged during the third period, the last at 57-all when Intal made a fastbreak dunk.
Then Bowles started giving a glimpse of things to come by stringing up seven straight points. (NC)
The scores:
PUREFOODS 103 – Bowles 34, Devance 15, Maliksi 13, Pingris 8, Melton 8, Pennisi 7, Barroca 6, Yap 6, Simon 3, Malari 2, Taha 1.
BARAKO BULL 96 – Alabi 29, Lanete 21, Intal 15, Mercado 14, Garcia 5, Pascual 4, Hubalde 4, Marcelo 4, Lastimosa 0, Matias 0, Salva 0.
Quarterscores: 19-24, 47-47, 81-72, 103-96
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