Stanley Pringle can produce startling results once he goes off the leash.
A combination of speed and acumen with a crossover just as lethal, Pringle dazzled at Smart Araneta Coliseum on Friday night to energize GlobalPort to a 133-115 win over Columbian in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
With 50.9 seconds remaining and the Batang Pier already rejoicing, Pringle looked over his shoulder and seeing nobody around, slammed it home with a one-hander that punctuated a career-high 50 points.
The 6-foot-1 guard then bounced off the court on his way to the bench, exchanging high fives with his teammates following a feat no other local player has done the last 14 seasons.
“My three-point shots were off, but I finally made them tonight and that simply opened things up for me,” said Pringle after drilling nine threes and making 18 of 30 shots from the field in almost 41 minutes.
Later, TNT KaTropa ended a two-game slide and sister team Meralco’s four-game winning streak after a 91-85 win.
The KaTropa thus tied the Bolts for third place at 7-3, just half a game behind the idle Alaska Aces (7-2).
Another win over Rain or Shine on July 7, the last playing day of the elimination round, will give TNT a shot at a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
The PBA will take a break from June 25 to July 3 in support of Gilas Pilipinas’ bid to make it back to the Fiba World Cup.
The Philippines will play Chinese-Taipei in Taiwan on June 29 and will host Australia at Philippine Arena in Boacaue, Bulacan, on July 2, the second round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2019 Fiba World Cup in China.
Pringle matched the exploits of Asi Taulava, the last local player who reached the 50-point plateau after scoring 51 points for Talk ‘N Text (now TNT KaTropa) in a 131-105 victory over Purefoods during the 2004 PBA Fiesta Conference.
“Tonight was Stanley’s show,” said GlobalPort coach Pido Jarencio. “It was all about him.”
“I played like him in college [at University of Santo Tomas],” added Jarencio, eliciting cheers from sportswriters during the post-game interview.
More than his personal accomplishment, Pringle led the Batang Pier in bouncing back from a humiliating 135-108 defeat at the hands of the Phoenix Fuel Masters on Wednesday and posting their fifth triumph in 10 games.
But the Batang Pier are not out of the woods yet. They will earn a trouble-free entry to the quarterfinals only when they hurdle the Barangay Ginebra Kings on July 6.
The Dyip ended their campaign with a 4-7 mark.