Myles Powell erupted for 50 points in his return as guest team Bay Area pummeled Rain or Shine, 120-87, to regain a share of the second spot in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Friday at Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Powell highlighted his stirring performance by knocking down 11 triples as the Dragons restored their tie with the idle Converge FiberXers by claiming a seventh win in nine matches.
The 6-foot-2 guard did it in only three quarters, an impressive feat considering that he was out for the last four games to allow Andrew Nicholson to reinforce Bay Area under an arrangement with the PBA.
“The coaching staff and [Bay Area conditioning coach Francesco Berre] helped me to stay focused and stay locked in,” said Powell, who was on the sidelines for one month when Nicholson was on the floor for the Dragons.
Seven-foot-five Liu Chuanxing had his best game, numbers-wise, with 11 points and nine rebounds to also key Bay Area’s fifth double-digit victory of its guest participation in the midseason conference.
Powell’s shooting display allowed the Dragons to pull away in the second quarter and eventually build a huge lead that the Elasto Painters couldn’t overcome.
Anton Asistio scored 20 points but Rain or Shine fell to a tie for eighth place with idle NorthPort at 4-5.
New import Ryan Pearson, who replaced Steve Taylor Jr., was held to nine points on 2-of-7 shooting in his first appearance for the Elasto Painters.
The Scores:
BAY AREA 120 — Powell 50, Liu 11, Song 9, Lam 9, Ju 7, Blankley 6, Zhu 6, Ewing 6, Si 6, Zheng 4, Yang 2, Zhang 2, Reid 2, Liang 0.
RAIN OR SHINE 87 — Asistio 20, Nambatac 12, Pearson 9, Norwood 9, Nieto 8, Belga 6, Caracut 5, Ponferrada 5, Santillan 4, Clarito 3, Torres 2, Borboran 2, Demusis 2, Guinto 0, Mamuyac 0, Ildefonso 0.
Quarters: 28-27, 57-42, 87-58, 120-87.