MANILA – NorthPort Batang Pier erased an 18-point deficit to turn back Converge FiberXers, 112-104, in overtime in the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup on Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Down by as much as 18 points, the Batang Pier clawed their way back behind Arvin Tolentino, Joshua Munzon, and Cade Flores to take a 96-93 lead, but FiberXers’ Alec Stockton connected on a three-pointer to force an overtime.
In the extension period, the Batang Pier surged to a 110-101 lead behind Tolentino, Flores, and William Navarro. The FiberXers got a response from Stockton, but a conversion by Navarro secured the win for NorthPort.
Tolentino had a near triple-double performance of 31 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds, while Munzon contributed 11 markers as the Batang Pier improved to a 1-1 win-loss slate.
Navarro finished with a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Flores also ended up with a double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds for NorthPort, which recovered from a 107-100 overtime loss to NLEX Road Warriors last Friday.
“The players did not give up. It was collective effort lalo sa team defense namin,” said Batang Pier head coach Bonnie Tan. “Last time when we played overtime we only scored two points and we lost that game. We made sure na hindi na mangyari ‘yun.”
Stockton top-scored for the Batang Pier with 27 points, Justin Arana had a double-double of 26 points and 13 rebounds, while Bryan Santos contributed 11 points. They dropped to 0-2.
Meanwhile, Blackwater Bossing registered its second victory in as many games as they pulled off an 87-76 stunner against powerhouse TNT Tropang Giga, which dropped to 1-1 record.
Jeth Troy Rosario was a thorn on the side of his former team, finishing with 20 points, Regile Kent Ilagan chipped in 15 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds, while rookie center Christian David contributed 13 points for the Bossing.
From a close first quarter, the Bossing went on a run in the second frame for a slim 39-35 halftime lead before pulling away for good in the second half as the lead reached as high as 20 points./PN
BOX SCORE:
NORTHPORT 112 – Tolentino 31, Munzon 17, Navarro 16, Flores 14, Bulanadi 8, Yu 8, Calma 7, Zamar 5, Paraiso 3, Adamos 2, Taha 1, Rosales 0, Lucero 0, Chan 0.
CONVERGE 104 – Stockton 27, Arana 24, Santos 11, Nieto 6, Ambohot 6, Winston 5, Fornilos 5, Caralipio 4, Zaldivar 3, Melecio 3, Delos 2, Fleming 2, Maagdenberg 2, Balanza 2.
Quarterscores: 19-26, 42-53, 65-80, 96-96, 112-104.
