MANILA – Stephen Holt connected a go-ahead basket as Terrafirma Dyip pulled off a 110-108 victory over NorthPort Batang Pier in the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup last night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Malate, Manila.
With the score tied at 108-all behind four free throws by Batang Pier’s Arvin Tolentino, Holt surged the Dyip ahead as he breezed past his defenders for a layup with three seconds left.
The Batang Pier still had a chance to force an overtime as Tolentino received a pass from the paint area, but his shot attempt was foiled by the defense of Dyip’s Kemark Carino.
Holt finished the game with a double-double of 22 points and 12 rebounds to go with five assists and four steals as the Dyip snapped a two-game slide to improve to a 5-5 win-loss slate.
“Effort lang ng players ‘yan, they wanted to improve their standings,” said Dyip head coach Johnedel Cardel. “With this win (against NorthPort) siguro we have a better chance of reaching the quarterfinals.”
Juan Miguel Tiongson added 21 markers, Mark Louie Sangalang finished with a career-high of 19 points, while Javi Gomez de Liano and George Isaac Go ended with 14 and 10 points, respectively, for Terrafirma.
From a seesaw battle in the first two quarters, the Dyip found themselves ahead at 88-78 behind the offense of Holt, Tiongson, and Sangalang in the pivotal third quarter rampage.
The Batang Pier, however, banked on consecutive points from Allyn Bulanadi in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 104-108 before Tolentino drilled four of his five free throw attempts to tie the score at 108-all.
“Malalaking mama itong mga players ko but they are still very young and still have a lot to learn so ganun pa din, teaching points pa din kaming mga coaches sa kanila,” Cardel said.
Tolentino finished with 25 points, Cade Flores added 18 markers, while William Navarro, Bulanadi and Ilonggo Paul Zamar tallied 17, 14, and 10 points, respectively, for the Batang Pier, which dropped to a 4-6 record./PN
BOX SCORE:
TERRAFIRMA 110 – Holt 22, Tiongson 21, Sangalang 19, Gomez de Liano 14, Go 10, Carino 9, Alolino 7, Cahilig 6, Ramos 2, Camson 0, Calvo 0.
NORTHPORT 108 – Tolentino 25, Flores 18, Navarro 17, Bulanadi 14, Zamar 10, Lucero 9, Munzon 7, Chan 5, Paraiso 3, Cuntapay 0, Yu 0.
Quarterscores: 27-22, 54-55, 88-78, 110-108.
