SUMMARY
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Cabagnot caught fire in the payoff period scoring all of his 12 points in the fourth quarter to help the Batang Pier keep the lead.
But Mark Barroca would respond, willing his team to win, first by finding an open Joe Devance down low, then hitting a three-ball himself to cut the lead down to just two, 70-68.
Allein Maliksi, who teamed up with Barroca in the 3rd quarter to help the team catch up, scored the go ahead basket on a fastbreak play.
Marc Pingris made his presence felt on offense in the next play, powering his way inside for an and-1 play that gave the Hotshots a 5-point cushion, 75-70 with 42 seconds left in the game.
Pingris was coming off an injury and was supposed to only play limited limits but he logged over 44 minutes and grabbed 17 rebounds for the defending champs.
Top rookie Stanley Pringle was unstoppable in the opening quarter leaving defenders biting his dust as he drove to the basket time and time again to destroy the Hotshots’ defense. He also knocked down two long bombs. He finished the quarter with 12 points on 5/6 shooting from the field.
GlobalPort went on cruise control in the second period as they kept Purefoods at bay ending the first half on top by 16, 40-24.
Mark Barroca and Allein Maliksi led a strong third quarter charge for the Hotshots as they connected on jumpers and in transition to give Purefoods a fighting chance heading into the final frame. Purefoods outscored GlobalPort, 27-13, in the third period to cut the Batang Pier’s lead to just two, 53-51.
Barroca hit a floater with 7:41 left in the final frame to cut the lead to just one, 58-57. Big man Yousef Taha then finally gave Purefoods its first taste of the lead after knocking down two free throws.
That’s when Cabagnot picked up the scoring slack sinking 9 straight points for the Batang Pier as he helped his team hold on to the lead, 67-62 with over 4 minutes left in the game. He scored another three-pointer but could not make another basket as the win slipped away from GlobalPort.
PUREFOODS (81) – Barroca 25, Maliksi 20, Simon 12, Devance 10, Pingris 9, Taha 3, Melton 2, Reavis 0, Holstein 0, Mallari 0, Gaco 0, Allado 0, Matias 0.
GLOBALPORT (75) – Pringle 20, Isip 17, Cabagnot 12, Jensen 7, Romeo 5, Nabong 5, Buenafe 3, Taha 2, Ponferada 2, De Ocampo 2, Semerad 0, Duncil 0, Baclao 0.
Quarterscores: 15-26, 24-50, 51-53, 81-75
Here are some images of the game taken by Nuki Sabio/PBA Images
– Rappler.com
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