PBA: Paul Lee tips hat to fellow Tondo kid Fran Yu

NorthPort Batang Pier guard Fran Yu against Magnolia Hotshots defenders including Paul Lee in a PBA Philippine Cup game. –PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines—Magnolia may have beaten Northport in the PBA Philippine Cup, but don’t let the score fool you because Batang Pier held on until the very last second.

Most of Northport’s late heroics came from rookie Fran Yu, who finished with 15 points and four assists in the 104-97 loss at Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Wednesday.

Though his late-game push wasn’t enough to help the Batang Pier escape the Hotshots, Paul Lee had to acknowledge his fellow Tondo-grown talent for a tremendous fightback.

READ: PBA: Fran Yu playing to prove he deserves his place in the big leagues

“That boy tough,” said Lee after dropping 13 points, three rebounds and three assists to push Magnolia to a 2-2 card. “He didn’t give up until the last minute. He deserves credit for the things he’s been doing with Northport.”

Magnolia led by seven, 97-90, with 56 seconds left in what looked like a done game before Yu ten decided to take matters into his own hands, scoring all of Batang Pier’s last seven points.

READ: ‘Enjoy lang’: Paul Lee just taking it easy during PBA All-Star weekend

Of course, it wasn’t enough as the Batang Pier skidded to a 4-2 card.

Still, Lee revealed that he wasn’t surprised to see Yu explode as he already saw what the Letran product was capable of during his collegiate years.

“I did expect him to play this way [in the PBA.] He’s a big-time player so I expect these kinds of things for Fran.”

Despite Lee sharing a sentimental place with Yu in Tondo, the 35-year-old swingman knew the Hotshots needed to win Wednesday’s game to avoid being buried in the standings.

“We can see in the standings that the bottom teams are now on top so it’s hard to get left behind… This win was big for us.”