Terrafirma’s Jordan Williams vs Blackwater’s Troy Williams in the PBA Governors’ Cup. –PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines–The scoring duel of Terrafirma’s Jordan Williams and Blackwater’s Troy Williams resulted in not only continuing a growing trend, but also a feat rarely seen in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
In an age when scoring at least 50 points is like pulling off a Tony Harris, the Williamses along with fellow imports dating back to the PBA Commissioner’s Cup have made the task of reaching the half-century mark a common occurrence.
HOW MANY IMPORTS HAVE SCORED AT LEAST 50 POINTS THIS SEASON?
FILE–Bay Area Dragons guard Myles Powell. PBA IMAGES
Terrafirma’s 119-106 win over Blackwater on Thursday saw the two imports become the fifth and sixth players to touch the 50-point barrier. Jordan put up 57 points while Troy fired 55 in his first game since replacing Shawn Glover.
Myles Powell and Andrew Nicholson, who shared the import responsibilities during the Bay Area Dragons’ guest participation last conference, Terrafirma’s Lester Prosper and, recently, TNT’s Jalen Hudson were the other members of the club.
Powell had 50 when Bay Area clobbered Rain or Shine, 120-87, on Nov. 11, matching the same output Nicholson produced a week earlier in a 92-89 defeat at the hands of Meralco.
Prosper also came up with 50 which came in an important time last Nov. 18 when Terrafirma defeated NLEX, 124-114, that snapped a run of 25 consecutive defeats.
Hudson exploded for 56 the day prior to the Terrafirma-Blackwater contest, helping TNT to a 128-122 win that handed Converge its first loss in the current tournament.
WHAT’S THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE WILLIAMSES’ SCORING OUTPUT?
NLEX import Al Thornton vs two defenders. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
The two are the first players to score 50 or more in the same game since April 5, 2016 when San Miguel Beer came away with a 131-127 triple overtime win over NLEX.
NLEX’s Al Thornton erupted for 69 points but San Miguel’s Tyler Wilkerson ended up on the winning side of the marathon affair after going for 58.
Thornton is the last player to score at least 60 in a game, a distinction previously belonging to Shell’s Askia Jones who did it back in the 2001 Governors’ Cup.
WHO WAS THE LAST IMPORT TO SCORE 50 IN HIS PBA DEBUT?
Former Phoenix import Eugene Phelps. –INQUIRER PHOTO
Troy Williams was the first import to score 50 in his first PBA game since July 31, 2016 when ex-Phoenix reinforcement Eugene Phelps did the trick in the Governors’ Cup.
Phelps recorded 52 points in the Fuel Masters’ 120-107 romp of the GlobalPort Batang Pier.
WHO WAS THE LAST LOCAL TO SCORE 50?
Former Globalport star Stanley Pringle. –PBA IMAGES
Current Barangay Ginebra guard Stanley Pringle was the last local to score 50 which he pulled off back in 2018.
Pringle was still with GlobalPort when he put up 50 in a 133-115 rout of Terrafirma, then known as Columbian, on June 22 at the Big Dome. It was the first since Asi Taulava’s 51 for Talk N’ Text back in 2004.
WHO HOLDS THE ALL-TIME RECORD FOR MOST POINTS IN A GAME?
Everyone is familiar with Harris’ 105-point showing for Swift in an Oct. 10, 1992 game against Ginebra in Iloilo City while the local mark is held by Allan Caidic, whose 79 in Nov. 21, 1991 also at the expense of Ginebra was spiked by 17 triples, also a league record.