MANILA – Bay Area Dragons continued its hot start in the 2022 PBA Commissioner’s Cup via a 106-100 beating of Converge FiberXers last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
American guard Myles Powell top-scored with 33 points and eight rebounds in his final game as the Dragons’ reinforcement before being replaced by former NBA center Andrew Nicholson.
Glen Robertson Yang had double-double 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Songwei Zhu and Hayden Blankley had 20 and 10 markers, respectively.
With the win, the Dragons stay perfect at 4-0.
From a close game early, the Dragons went on a massive run behind Powell and Yang for a 28-18 lead, which later grew to 57-41 at the half behind second quarter exploits of Duncan Reid.
The FiberXers launched repeated runs in the second half with the closest at 100-104 on an inside hit by Quincy Miller but two free throws by Powell sealed the win for the Dragons.
Miller tallied 38 points and 14 rebounds, Maverick Ahanmisi added 12 markers, while Jeron Teng and Allyn Bulanadi had 11 points each as the FiberXers dropped to 1-2.
In the first game, Meralco Bolts notched its first victory in three matches after a 105-92 beating of Terrafirma Dyip, which skidded to its fourth straight loss.
Holding to a slim 79-76 lead, the Bolts opened the fourth period with triples from Kier John Quinto and Johnny O’Bryant and inside hits by Allein Maliksi and Raymond Almazan for a 98-85 edge.
The Dyip attempted to come close behind shots by Lester Prosper but the Bolts had a quick response on four straight points by Aaron Black for a 105-90 advantage.
O’Bryant finished with 31 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and three steals, Maliksi added 18 markers, while Quinto and Black contributed 17 markers for the Bolts.
BOX SCORE:
BAY AREA 106 – Powell 33, Yang 23, Zhu 20, Blankley 10, Reid 7, Lam 6, Liu 4, Ju 3, Zheng 0, Liang 0.
CONVERGE 100 – Miller 38, Ahanmisi 12, Teng 11, Bulanadi 11, Arana 7, Tratter 7, Ilagan 7, Racal 3, Melecio 2, Stockton 2, Murrell 0, Hill 0, Ambohot 0.
Quarterscores: 28-18, 57-41, 88-69, 106-100./PN
