MJ Rhett drops a triple-double as Blackwater stuns Alaska. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Blackwater won back-to-back games for the first time in its PBA life last night after Carlo Lastimosa scored 24 points and import MJ Rhett chalked up the first triple double of the season in the Elite’s 107-101 upset of Alaska in the Oppo Commissioner’s Cup eliminations.
Rhett scored 18 points, had 21 rebounds and 10 assists as he pounced on the absence of Alaska import Rob Dozier, who suited up but sat out the game because of plantar fasciitis.
The Elite broke away in the third quarter and held sway the rest of the way, rising to 2-1 in the standings while guaranteeing that the Aces would start the new tournament they ended the last one—with a loss.
“It feels good to achieve this,” Blackwater coach Leo Isaac said of the winning streak as Blackwater, which won just six games last season and lost every game that followed each victory by an average of 12 points.
“We will just have to continue on,” Isaac added. “[From now on], teams will definitely be preparing for us.”
GlobalPort nearly squandered a 20-point lead before holding off Tropang TNT, 108-101, in the second game.
Terrence Romeo led the Batang Pier with 33 points. The Texters, like Alaska, played without an import as they still have to find a replacement for the banned Ivan Johnson.
Alaska officials, meanwhile, refused to disclose what’s really wrong with Dozier, who has been with the team for weeks now but didn’t even do a shootaround with his teammates before the game.
“We heard about it a few minutes before tip-off,” Isaac said of the Dozier situation. “But I just told the players to play the way we prepared, and that is playing against a team with an import.”
The Elite can now cross out the name of Alaska as one of the teams they haven’t beaten. Remaining in that list are Tropang TNT, Rain or Shine, GlobalPort, Star and NLEX.
Meanwhile, San Miguel Beer, the reigning back-to-back Philippine Cup champion, finally makes its much-anticipated debut today when the Beermen and Tyler Wilkerson battle Mahindra in a Petron Saturday Special game at 3 p.m. at Alonte Sports Center in Laguna.
Star, on a two-game losing streak, and NLEX lock horns in the 5:15 p.m.
Reil Cervantes had 11 of his 21 points in the fourth period and Bam-Bam Gamalinda, Raphy Reyes and Mike Cortez combined for another 32 for the well-balanced Elite.
The scores:
First Game
BLACKWATER 107—Lastimosa 24, Cervantes 21, Rhett 18, Gamalinda 12, Cortez 10, Reyes 10, Dela Cruz 6, Canada 3, Erram 2, Tiongson 1, Golla 0.
ALASKA 101—Manuel 20, Thoss 18, Baguio 16, Abueva 11, Casio 10, Banchero 9, Dela Cruz 4, Racal 4, Eman 3, Jazul 3, Exciminiano 2, Dela Rosa 1, Vanlandingham 0.
Quarters: 27-23, 51-50, 80-70, 107-101
Second Game
The scores:
GLOBALPORT 108—Romeo 33, Pringle 14, Sumang 11, Warner 11, Washington 9, Semerad 8, Yeo 8, Mamaril 6, Jensen 4, Kramer 2, Maierhofer 2, Uyloan 0.
TROPANG TNT 101—Castro 25, Tautuaa 21, Seigle 16, De Ocampo 10, Fonacier 8, Reyes J. 8, Rosser 6, Carey 3, Ababou 2, Reyes R. 2, Aban 0, Rosario 0.
Quarters: 19-18, 55-43, 90-71, 108-101