MANILA, Philippines – The Blackwater Elite notched their first win in the 2018 PBA Commissioner’s Cup and they did it in the most dramatic fashion.

Henry Walker hammered a dunk with 3.4 seconds remaining as the Elite ended a 7-game slide with a come-from-behind 86-84 triumph over the Magnolia Hotshots at the Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, June 6.

Off a pick and roll and a pass from John Pinto, Walker, who finished with 11 points, 8 assists, 4 assists and 4 steals, drove hard to the basket and converted the slam plus the foul from Mark Barroca.

Although missing his charity and leaving the door ajar for a possible Hotshots comeback, the American import returned to defense immediately and teamed up with Pinto to force a Jio Jalalon turnover. 

Prior to the go-ahead dunk, Walker stole the ball from Magnolia counterpart Curtis Kelly and issued an assist to Poy Erram for the bucket that knotted the score at 86-all with 30 seconds left in the game. 

Erram finished with game-highs of 19 points and 15 rebounds while Allein Maliksi added 16 points and 9 boards for the Elite, who remained in playoff contention.

“At least the team is improving little by little. I keep on telling them to just continue to pound the rock, mabibiyak din yan (it will break eventually),” said Blackwater head coach Bong Ramos. 

Blackwater trailed 40-48 at halftime before turning the tides in the 3rd quarter with a 17-2 spurt, with 6 points coming from Erram, for a 57-50 advantage. 

Mark Barroca paced Magnolia with 16 points while Kelly chipped in 12 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals and two blocks against 6 turnovers. 

The Hotshots absorbed their second straight loss since the departure of import Vernon Macklin for a 3-3 card. 

The Scores:

Blackwater (86): Erram 19, Maliksi 16, Walker 11, Digregorio 11, Sumang 8, Zamar 8, Pinto 6, Al-Hussaini 5, Belo 2, Sena 0, Jose 0, Palma 0

Magnolia (84): Barroca 16, Kelly 12, Simon 12, Reavis 11, Jalalon 8, Brondial 7, Melton 6, dela Rosa 5, Lee 3, Herndon 2, Pascual 2, Ramos 0

Quarter scores: 19-27, 40-48, 69-61, 86-84