By ADRIAN STEWART CO
Stephen Holt connected a go-ahead basket as the Terrafirma Dyip pulled off a 110-108 victory over the NorthPort Batang Pier in the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Malate, Manila on Wednesday night, April 24.
With the score tied at 108-all behind four free throws by Batang Pier’s Arvin Tolentino, Holt surged the Dyip ahead as he breezed past his defenders for a layup with three seconds left.
The Batang Pier still had a chance to force overtime as Tolentino received a pass from the paint area, but his shot attempt was foiled by the defense of Dyip’s Kemark Carino.
Holt finished the game with a double-double of 22 points and 12 rebounds to go with five assists and four steals as the Dyip snapped a two-game slide to improve to a 5-5 win-loss slate.
“Effort lang ng players ‘yan, they wanted to improve their standings,” Dyip head coach Johnedel Cardel said.
“With this win [against NorthPort], siguro we have a better chance of reaching the quarterfinals,” he added.
Juan Miguel Tiongson added 21 markers, Mark Louie Sangalang finished with a career-high of 19 points, while Javi Gomez de Liaño and George Isaac Go ended with 14 and 10 points, respectively, for Terrafirma.
Tolentino finished with 25 points, Cade Flores added 18 markers, while William Navarro, Allyn Bulanadi and Ilonggo Paul Zamar tallied 17, 14 and 10 points, respectively, for the Batang Pier, which dropped to a 4-6 record.
Meanwhile, Kelly Williams had a vintage performance as the TNT Tropang Giga (5-4) scored a come-from-behind 108-101 victory over the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters (3-6).
The one-time PBA MVP winner finished with a double-double of 17 points and 13 rebounds to go with two assists and two steals as the Tropang Giga completed their fightback from 23 points down in the first half.
“At halftime, it was me checking on my ego, checking what I can do to help the team because that’s what coach told me to do, to help the team in whatever way,” Williams said./ASC, WDJ
TERRAFIRMA 110 — Holt 22, Tiongson 21, Sangalang 19, Gomez de Liaño 14, Go 10, Carino 9, Alolino 7, Cahilig 6, Ramos 2, Camson 0, Calvo 0.
NORTHPORT 108 — Tolentino 25, Flores 18, Navarro 17, Bulanadi 14, Zamar 10, Lucero 9, Munzon 7, Chan 5, Paraiso 3, Cuntapay 0, Yu 0.
Quarterscores: 27-22, 54-55, 88-78, 110-108.