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BY ADRIAN STEWART CO
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MANILA – Blackwater Elite continued its impressive run in the 2016-2017 Oppo PBA Philippine Cup after scoring a 99-91 victory over GlobalPort Batang Pier at the San Juan Arena.
Rookie Mac Belo led the way with 20 points, including a perfect 11-for-11 shooting from the free-throw line, for the Elite, which moved up to solo second place in the standings with a 4-2 win-loss slate.
The Elite registered a second straight win on Wednesday night, with Nard John Pinto chipping in with 15 markers, Arthur Dela Cruz with 13 and Ronjay Buenafe with 11.
Holding to a slim 48-47 lead at the half, the Elite started strong in the third frame on triples by Buenafe and Pinto for a 60-51 lead. The Batang Pier kept it close at six points, but conversions from Belo and Shej Roi Sumang gave the Elite a 77-67 edge.
The Elite continued its shooting in the final quarter as it built its largest lead at 13 on baskets by Raphael Banal and James Sena.
Consecutive triples from Rommel Nino Canaleta and Von Pessumal allowed the Batang Pier to come to within 94-89.
But a wide open triple by Sumang with under a minute to go in the game stretched the Elite’s lead to 97-89 before sealing the victory in the next possession with two free throws from Belo.
“We wanted to give ourselves a chance to be in the Top 2 and have a good Christmas this year,” said Elite head coach Leo Isaac. “Sa tatlong taon sa PBA ngayon lang kami na nag-second midway through eliminations.”
Terrence Romeo finished with 22 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, while Stanley Pringle added 14 before being ejected in the third frame for the Batang Pier, which slid down to 3-2 record./PN
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