Stanley Pringle caught fire in the fourth quarter and towed GlobalPort to its first win in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup eliminations with an 86-85 nipping of Meralco Friday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The former Rookie of the Year hit 13 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, including what turned out to be the marginal foul shots in the last 14.3 seconds as the Batang Pier bounced back from a 128-114 loss to TNT KaTropa last week.
“We’re struggling, especially Stanley because he’s playing through an injury. Luckily for us, he picked it up in the fourth quarter,” said coach Pido Jarencio.
Rain or Shine survived a tough Alaska and a wild finish for a 109-103 overtime victory in the other game.
Reggie Johnson pumped 32 points and 22 rebounds, while Chris Tiu shot 4-of-7 from threes to collect 18 points, six assists, and three rebounds for the Elasto Painters.
Maverick Ahanmisi almost sealed the game shut in regulation with a layup at the 2.9-second mark of the fourth quarter to make it a three-point lead, 104-101, but Chris Banchero’s Hail Mary three knotted the score at 94 at the buzzer.
“I got mad at them. It was already a won game. But then again, we can’t fault the players. We’re okay but we’re not okay because we’re not getting the rebounds,” lamented coach Caloy Garcia.
GlobalPort fought back from an eight-point deficit late in the third quarter and staged a 20-6 run that spilled into the fourth period to grab a 77-69 lead with 6:24 remaining.
The Bolts, however, fought back and made it a one-point game, 83-82 with 42.3 seconds left and got a big stop when Pringle missed on a drive.
However, Anjo Caram was forced out of bounds by Nico Elorde in the ensuing possession, leading to Pringle splitting from the line to extend the lead to two, 84-82 with 14.3 on the clock.
Jared Dillinger then air-balled a triple try that doomed Meralco.
Malcolm White topscored for the Batang Pier with 27 points that went with 17 boards.
“The chemistry is still not there, so I commend my last group for coming through. I’ll take it. A win is a win,” Jarencio said.