By ADRIAN STEWART CO 

The NorthPort Batang Pier halted its three-game losing skid with a wire-to-wire 107-94 victory over NLEX Road Warriors in the 2022 PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Wednesday night, November 9, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Robert Bolick, Jr. flirted with triple-double with 33 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, while Prince Ibeh added 22 points and 17 rebounds as the Batang Pier improved to 4-5.

William Navarro contributed career-high 17 markers to go with 13 boards, while Bacolodnon Jeffrei Chan, Shej Roi Sumang and Arvin Tolentino had 12, 11 and 10 markers, respectively, for NorthPort.

The Batang Pier went to work early behind conversions by Navarro for a 23-13 lead. Ibeh took over the scoring in the second canto as the advantage widened to 49-36 at the half.

The Road Warriors threatened to get within five points in the second half but the Batang Pier were quick to restore order behind Sumang and Bolick as the lead increased to as high as 24 points.

Earl Clark ended the match with 29 points, 16 rebounds and six assists, while Kevin Alas added 18 markers as the Road Warriors slumped to a 3-5 win-loss slate.

In the first game, Converge FiberXers extended its winning run to six games as it held off Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters, 132-127. Converge climbed into second place at 7-2, while Phoenix dropped to 5-4.

Quincy Miller exploded for the FiberXers with 46 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the three-point area to go with 15 rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and two steals.

The locals also provided a huge boost for the FiberXers, with Jeron Teng chalking up 25 points and Regile Kent Ilagan registering career-high 22 markers and Maverick Ahanmisi adding 13.

NORTHPORT 107 — Bolick 33, Ibeh 22, Navaro 17, Chan 12, Sumang 11, Tolentino 10, Calma 2, Balanza 0, Caperal 0, Ferrer 0.

NLEX 94 — Clark 29, Alas 18, Rosales 9, Chua 8, Miranda 7, Ganuelas-Rosser 6, Paniamogan 6, Celda 5, Ighalo 3, Magat 3, Taulava 0, Varilla 0.

Quarterscores: 23-13, 49-36, 80-68, 107-94./ASC, WDJ