Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Mike Glover wanted to win GlobalPort’s game against Phoenix badly, and he had every reason to do so.
Not even mentioning the Batang Pier’s winless campaign this 2016 PBA Governors’ Cup, the 28-year-old forward was hellbent on nabbing the victory as he dedicated the game to his fallen college teammate Jonathan Mills.
He even had a tape plastered below his left eye with the words, “J. Mills” written on it.
An emotional Glover went on and posted 27 points and 17 rebounds, but that still weren’t enough as GlobalPort fell short anew, losing to the Fuel Masters, 120-107 on Sunday.
“That was for my teammate who I went to college with. He was killed a couple days ago, he’s from Chicago. This game was for him. Unfortunately, we didn’t come out with a win so I feel kind of bad,” he said.
Playing in his second game, Glover still couldn’t get the job done for the Batang Pier.
But he’s not the only one at fault for the shortcomings.
“We have to play better defense,” he said. “That’s the key of winning games, winning in the playoffs. If we want to make the playoffs, we have to play defense and get rebounds.”
Glover focused on the scoring spree Phoenix import Eugene Phelps had in the game, as the GlobalPort defense was largely inexistent as the debuting import dominated with 52 points.
“The other import gave us a run for our money. We should take that personal, that’s pretty embarrassing,” he said. “We need to take pride of our defense not just individually but as a team. Phoenix took advantage of our lack of defense and that’s how they won tonight.”