PBA: Ready for battle, Joshua Munzon leads Northport upset of Ginebra
NorthPort star Joshua Munzon during a game against Barangay Ginebra in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup. –PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines—Joshua Munzon played a huge role in Northport’s most recent accomplishment in the PBA–beating Ginebra for the first time in five years.
After 14 head-to-head games, the Batang Pier finally got one over the Gin Kings, 119-116, in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at Philsports Arena on Wednesday.
Article continues after this advertisementREAD: PBA: NorthPort beats Ginebra for the first time in five years
Munzon assumed the role of main protagonist for the Batang Pier in one of their biggest wins in franchise history against the crowd darlings in front of a hostile crowd in Pasig.
“Going into the break, we knew that we’ll play a tough team in Ginebra, one of the better teams in the league. We’ve been preparing for them pretty much the whole break and all our hard work paid off tonight,” said Munzon.
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NorthPort star Joshua Munzon during a game against Barangay Ginebra in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup. –PBA IMAGES
“We were able to stick to the game plan and we made it happen,” he added.
Munzon was the second-leading scorer for the locals with 27 points plus six assists, two steals and two rebounds to match, pushing the Batang Pier to a 7-1 record.
READ: PBA: Defense ace Joshua Munzon lets his offense do the talking
The 29-year-old swingman’s efforts also proved sufficient for Northport, which lost the services of Arvin Tolentino in the dying seconds of the game after fouling out. Tolentino finished with 29 points and five rebounds prior to his ejection.
While there are doubts about Northport’s ability to beat a top juggernaut like the Gin Kings amid their league-leading streak, coach Bonnie Tan stayed true as a believer until the final buzzer.
“We had a game On Tour [preseason], we beat them out of town in Batangas, we mentioned that Ginebra’s beatable and we challenged our players in tonight’s game, which is a statement game for us,” said Tan.
“Everyone’s questioning our status, not winning against big teams so I hope that with this win, we proved that we’re here to win games and be competitive. We’re not just any team,” added the three-time NCAA champion coach.
Munzon, the Batang Pier, and company have a chance to convert more doubters into believers when they take on another league contender in Meralco on Tuesday at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
