By ADRIAN STEWART CO
MANILA – NorthPort Batang Pier overcame a late uprising by Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings for a 119-116 victory in the 2024-25 PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Wednesday night at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
Clinging to a 117-114 lead late in the game, Batang Pier’s William Navarro fouled Gin Kings’ Justin Brownlee while attempting a three-pointer, but the latter only made two of his three free throws for a 117-116 count.
NorthPort’s Joshua Munzon split his free throws to make it a 118-116 score, but Brownlee turned the ball over with a second left before Batang Pier import Kadeem Jack sealed the win with a split free throw.
Jack led the way for the Batang Pier with 32 points and 16 rebounds, Arvin Tolentino added 29 markers, while Munzon ended with 27 as they stayed on top with a 7-1 win-loss slate.
Aside from retaining the top-seed, the Batang Pier also managed to secure their first win over the Gin Kings since December 14, 2019, ending a 14-game losing skid in the process.
“Sa practice, we talked about na beatable pa din ang Ginebra even if we have not beaten them for five years, 14 games to be exact, so we challenged the team,” Batang Pier head coach Bonnie Tan said in a post-game interview.
Tan added that the huge win against the Gin Kings should also put to rest the questions that the Batang Pier are not capable of beating the powerhouse teams.
“Itong victory na ito is a statement win for us,” Tan said. “Everyone’s questioning ‘yung status ng team, na hindi kami nananalo sa big teams, so we hope that with this win, we have proven that we are here to win games, we are here to be competitive, and hindi kami basta basta na team lang.”
Brownlee finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds, Earl Scottie Thompson, Rhon Jay Abarrientos, and Jeth Troy Rosario added 17 apiece, while Maverick Ahanmisi and Stephen Holt had 12 and 11, respectively, as the Gin Kings dropped to 5-3./PN
BOX SCORE:
NORTHPORT 119 – Jack 32, Tolentino 29, Munzon 27, Flores 9, Navarro 8, Bulanadi 5, Onwubere 4, Cuntapay 3, Yu 2, Nelle 0, Jalalon 0.
GINEBRA 116 – Brownlee 23, Thompson 17, Rosario 17, Abarrientos 17, Ahanmisi 12, Holt 11, Cu 9, J. Aguilar 8, Tenorio 2.
Quarterscores: 31-27, 67-58, 98-87, 119-116.
