MANILA – Columbian Dyip brandished an unconventional style of play to seize an early advantage in the 2018 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
With import CJ Aiken reliable on only defense, Dyip turned to locals Jeramy King, Rashawn McCarthy and Carlo Lastimosa to eke out a 126-98 rout against Blackwater Elite in the first game last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
In the second game, TNT KaTropa squandered a double-digit edge before pulling away in the final quarter to score 128-114 over GlobalPort Batang Pier.
King finished with career-best 30 points, including five triples for Dyip (formerly Kia Picanto). McCarthy added 22 markers while Lastimosa contributed 14.
Ronald Tubid and Eric James Camson had 12 points each while Aiken lorded it over on boards with 22 rebounds to go along with 9 points, four assists and six steals.
Holding to a slim 59-55 lead at the half, Dyip pulled away via inside and outside conversions by King and McCarthy for an 81-61 edge on a drive by Lastimosa.
Elite rallied to within 83-92 midway in the fourth period but Dyip got timely baskets from King, McCarthy and Jackson Corpuz and a trey from Glenn Khobuntin for its largest lead in the match 126-96.
Jarrid Famous had double-double 35 points and 22 rebounds but also had 11 turnovers while Allein Maliksi added 22 markers for Elite.
After its 21-point first-half lead got whittled down to 83-81, TNT torched GlobalPort with outside conversions from Jayson Castro, Jericho Cruz and Roger Pogoy to lead anew 118-100.
Taking advantage of TNT errors, GlobalPort got close 108-119 after a triple by Nico Elorde and a basket by Sean Anthony. But free throws by Pogoy and baskets from Jeremy Tyler and Castro sealed the win for TNT.
Castro finished with double-double 21 points and 10 assists, Pogoy added 20 points, and Ilonggo Cruz and Tyler contributed 16 and 14 markers, respectively, for KaTropa.
Romeo, who was traded by Batang Pier to KaTropa during league break, finished with just 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting with five turnovers./PN
