Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Malcolm White and Stanley Pringle gave a grieving GlobalPort squad a huge lift down the stretch as the Batang Pier inflicted more misery on the NLEX Road Warriors with an 85-82 decision Wednesday night for their first win in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
White finished with 23 points, including a fadeaway shot and a crucial free throw in the last 23 seconds that helped GlobalPort preserve the victory.
Pringle drilled in two free throws with four seconds left to ice the count as the Batang Pier improved to 1-4 and kept their slim hopes of reaching the quarterfinals alive.
It was an emotional victory for the Batang Pier, who wore black patches in their jerseys following the death of assistant coach Senen Duenas due to complications from a chest surgery Wednesday morning.
“We wanted to dedicate the win to coach Senen,” said assistant coach Erick Gonzales, who called the shots for GlobalPort in the absence of Franz Pumaren, who had a throat infection.
The Road Warriors dropped to 0-6, putting their quarterfinal bid in jeopardy.
Later, Rain or Shine leaned on the heroics of Jeff Chan as it rallied from 17 points down to stun Phoenix, 96-94, and arrest a two-game slide.
Chan completed a three-point play for the lead, before splitting his free throws with four seconds remaining for the final count as Rain or Shine hiked its record to 4-2.