GlobalPort pounds Blackwater in high-scoring tiff
ANTIPOLO – GLOBALPORT wants to go out in style, and did.
With Joseph Yeo coming off the bench to lead a balanced attack the Batang Pier trumped Blackwater 139-126 Wednesday to end their campaign in the PBA Governors Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Yeo finished with 37 points, Mike Glover 34 on top of 18 rebounds and Terrence Romeo 28 markers and nine assists as GlobalPort really poured on the heat in the second half of a battle between two teams long out of the running for quarterfinals berths.
Their 4-7 slate was a game better than what the Batang Pier wound up with for 12th and last in the Commissioner’s Cup, but this one could push them as high as ninth, depending on the outcome of 4-6 Rain or Shine’s duel with Star on Friday.
Definitely, it is one placing the Mike Romero-owned franchise is all too willing to settle for, considering it started the season-ending conference at 0-4 and hardly recovered from the spate of injuries that plagued the team.
“It’s just about pride and effort,” said Cholo Villanueva, an assistant to interim head coach Johnedel Cardel, who sat on the team bench but allowed his staff to do most of the work since he has barely recovered from kidney surgery.
“Whoever has the pride and effort in this type of game will eventually get the win,” added Villanueva.
The Batang Pier, who made their first-ever semifinals in the Philippine Cup, did come up with a sterling all-around effort and emerged not only with the league’s season high in points but also the franchise best.
The two teams also combined for the highest single regulation game total since Barako Bull beat Talk N Text 135-133 in the 2009 Fiesta Conference.
After making 56 of 102, or 54 percent, field goal attempts, GlobalPort also totaled 35 assists, the most ever for the team and for the league this season.
Blackwater also put up its highest output ever after making 54 of 112 shots, but could not match GlobalPort’s pace when it mattered most and thus dropped to 1-9.
The Elite could avoid falling to their third 12th place finish in six conferences with the league should they prevail over defending champion San Miguel Beer at eliminations end on Sunday.
Keala King finish with 28 points, double his output when he debuted in an 81-93 loss to Phoenix last week, and also had 15 rebounds, Roi Sumang set a new career-high 22 points and Art dela Cruz added 21 markers, six steals and five assists.
But the Elite could not find any solution to Yeo, Glover and the rest of GlobalPort in the most crucial stage of the game that was generally free-flowing and featured little defense.
“It looked like an All-Star game because we’re both out of the running,” said Villanueva.
GlobalPort did buckle down to business when needed.
With Romeo, Glover and Yeo at the forefront, the Batang Pier methodically pulled away from a 106-105 count
and stretched it to 130-115, still 2:31 to go.
King scored 11 of Blackwater’s last 13 points, but each time GlobalPort had an answer to keep the Elite at bay.
After being held to just seven points in the first half, Romeo came alive in the third period with 13 of his points as the Batang Pier broke off from the game’s sixth and last deadlock at 72-all to lead by nine twice.
Bambam Gamalinda, Kyle Pascual and John Pinto each struck for Blackwater, however, bringing the Elite back from 88-97 to within 97-99, going into the last 12 minutes of play.
Before the teams’ established stars took over, some surprises hogged the limelight.
Sumang already had his career-high as early as the first half when he had 18 points, anchored on 3-for-5
three-point shooting, in leading Blackwater to a 70-68 lead at the break.
King, Dela Cruz and Lastimosa also chipped in at least 10 points each as the Elite even posted as much as two 11-point spreads, the last at 45-34.
Yeo, who went into the game averaging just a little over eight points, was not to be outdone with 22 of his own, built around a 6-for-9 clip from deep, and helped keep GlobalPort within striking distance.
The supporting cast for the Batang Pier, at least in the first 24 minutes of play, were Glover and Pringle, who combined for 25 points.
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