Mahindra banks on fourth quarter kick to dispatch Blackwater

MANILA, Philippines – The Mahindra Floodbuster outplayed the Blackwater Elite in the payoff period to emerge with a 96-87 win in the 2017 PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Sunday, May 7 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Reden Celda led the scoring for the Floodbuster with 18 points on 7-of-11 shots off the bench. Import Keith Wright struggled as he missed 10 shots but still finished with 16 points with 16 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Glenn Khobuntin chipped in 15 markers as Mahindra notched only its second win of the conference.

Mahindra poured 28 points against Blackwater’s 17 in the final frame to create separation.

Greg Smith, the Elite’s reinforcement and potential naturalized player of the future for the Philippines, had a game-high 29 points, but he also pulled down 26 rebounds and dished out 6 assists.

Kyle Pascual and Niño Canaleta added 11 apiece as Blackwater slipped to a similar 2-7 record.

Teams now need 5 wins in order to make the playoffs.

Scores:

Mahindra (96): Celda 18, Wright 16, Khobuntin 15, Camson 9, Paniamogan 8, Corpuz 8, Caperal 6, Revilla 4, Ballesteros 4, Teng 3, Yee 3, Salva 2, Elorde 0.

Blackwater (87): Smith 29, Canaleta 11, Pascual 11, Digregorio 9, Cruz 9, Sena 7, Sumang 4, Gamalinda 4, Aguilar 2, Banal 1, Buenafe 0, Pinto 0. 

Quarter scores: 25-26, 48-48, 68-70, 96-87.

– Rappler.com