MANILA – Hong Kong Eastern used another third quarter turnaround to defeat Blackwater Bossing, 84-75, in the 2024-25 PBA Commissioner’s Cup last night at the FilOil EcoOil Arena in San Juan City.
Down by 10 points at 39-49 at the half, the HK Eastern leaned on inside baskets by Christopher McLaughlin and connections from Steven Guinchard to take a 66-58 advantage.
The HK Eastern continued their run in the fourth quarter as they established the largest lead at 80-64 on a three-point play by McLaughlin, but the Bossing responded with an 8-0 blast, including a four-pointer from George King, to threaten to within 72-80.
Kobey Lam then completed a three-point play to stretch the HK Eastern lead to 83-72. The Bossing made their last push at 75-83 on a three-pointer by RK Ilagan, but a free throw by Lam sealed the win for HK Eastern.
McLaughlin, who was activated in lieu of Cameron Clark, finished with a double-double of 32 points and 23 rebounds to go with three assists as the HK Eastern improved to a 4-1 win-loss slate.
Glenn Yang added 14 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals, while Lam contributed a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds to go with three assists for the HK Eastern.
“In the first half, we did not defend well, we missed a lot of shots, and we did not play as a team. Second half, we were able to fix that and we take control of the game,” said HK Eastern head coach Mensur Bajramović after the game.
King was the lone double-digit scorer for the Bossing with 41 points, including four four-point shot, to go with 12 rebounds, one assist, and a steal as they remained winless in three games./PN
BOX SCORE:
HK EASTERN 84 – McLaughlin 32, Yang 14, Lam 10, Guinchard 8, Xu 7, Cheung 5, Cao 4, Blankley 2, Pok 2, Chan 0, Zhu 0.
BLACKWATER 75 – King 41, Barefield 9, Suerte 9, Chua 4, Kwekuteye 4, David 4, Ilagan 3, Ponferrada 1, Casio 0, Hill 0, Guinto 0, Escoto 0.
Quarterscores: 23-21, 39-49, 66-58, 84-75.
