Donovan Smith’s heroics steer Phoenix past Terrafirma for 2nd win
Import Donovan Smith powered the Phoenix Fuel Masters as they registered their second win over Terrafirma, 122-108, in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup on Tuesday, January 7, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
Smith spearheaded the scoring column of Phoenix after unloading a game-high 37 points on top of seven rebounds, five blocks, and three assists, spoiling the comeback attempt of the hapless Dyip.
“This is a new year and it's a fresh start,” Smith said during the post-game press conference.
“We can't worry about the last six games that already passed because it's in the past, so now we just have to focus on the next games coming ahead and just put our best foot forward and continue to build on this win that we have today,” he added.
Smith, however, made sure to give his teammates credit for their defensive efforts in addition to their scoring contributions as well as how their enhanced communication both on and off the court fueled them to climb up to 2-5 in the team standings.
“I was a lot more vocal on both ends of the floor, so I think that's what really contributed to us winning. Just holding guys accountable and having guys hold me accountable as well on both sides of the floor,” said Smith. “I feel like that's the biggest reason why we won today because we played together for 48 minutes.”
In addition to Smith’s valiant efforts, Jason Perkins tallied 16 markers, including 10 in the fourth period, helping the Fuel Masters overcome an 84-88 deficit.
Ricci Rivero registered 14 points and five assists, with 10 of his points delivered in the closing minutes.
With 10:49 remaining, Perkins and Rivero led a crucial rally that put Phoenix ahead 93-86. The Fuel Masters continued to dominate until the final buzzer thanks to Smith's pivotal defensive plays to close out the game.
Terrafirma import Brandon Walton-Edwards had a double-double of 25 markers and 10 boards, while Louie Sangalang chipped in 22 in the loss.
Kenmark Carino returned to the Dyip with 11 points and seven rebounds after battling a knee injury to begin the conference.
The Scores:
PHOENIX 122 – Smith 37, Perkins 16, Rivero 14, Tio 10, Ballungay 10, Tuffin 8, Muyang 7, Jazul 4, Alejandro 4, Manganti 3, Daves 3, Garcia 2, Salado 2, Verano 2, Ular 0
TERRAFIRMA 108 – Walton-Edwards 25, Sangalang 22, Paraiso 16, Nonoy 12, Carino 11, Hernandez 7, Manuel 6, Melecio 5, Pringle 2, Ramos 2, Catapusan 0
Quarter Scores: 29-36, 60-49, 88-84, 122-108
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The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters extended their win streak at the expense of Blackwater Bossing, 122-106, in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup at the Philsports Arena in Pasig on Wednesday, January 8.
With the efforts of import Deon Thompson, Adrian Nocum, and Santi Santillan, the Elasto Painters ensured that Blackwater would not repeat the same scenario where George King and the Bossing wiped them out during last year’s Governor’s Cup.
Nocum's consistency paid off as he poured IN 22 points, pulled down five rebounds, and three steals to help the Elasto Painters some sense of revenge on their tormentors from the previous conference.
“For me, I just stick to whatever my coaches tell me regarding our game plan. Even coach [Yeng Guiao] said that we played well in that game but our opponents just played a lot better,” said Nocum during the postgame interview.
“Every approach I have is the same [from then ’til now]. I just stick to my coaches’ plans,” he added.
Rain or Shine jumped off to a 39-16 lead, faltered in the second frame, and then picked up steam in the second half where Nocum had a field day, highlighted by an acrobatic layup in the fourth quarter.
Thompson churned out 25 points for the Elasto Painters on top of 16 boards, four dimes, and a rejection, while Santillan registered 20.
Anton Asistio had a total of 18 points after helping the team create an early lead in the first quarter with a nine-point performance.
Rain or Shine’s record improved to 5-1, and they will aim to build on this win when they face the Phoenix Fuel Masters on Saturday, January 11.
The Scores:
RAIN OR SHINE 122 – Thompson 25, Nocum 22, Santillan 20, Asistio 18, Tiongson 11, Clarito 9, Demusis 8, Caracut 6, Ildefonso 1, Belga 0, Norwood 0, Lemetti 0, Escandor 0
BLACKWATER 106 – King 35, Ayonayon 11, David 10, Chua 10, Escoto 9, Ponferrada 6, Suerte 6, Kwekuteye 5, Jopia 5, Hill 4, Casio 3, Corteza 2, Guinto 0
Quarter Scores: 39-25, 56-47, 94-79, 122-106
The Hiroshima Dragonflies dominated San Miguel Beermen, 94-63, to earn a Final Four ticket on Wednesday night, January 8, at the Hiroshima Sun Plaza, Japan.
Hiroshima's win also eliminated the winless SMB (0-4) out of contention in the next round.
The Dragonflies were led by the almost triple-double performance of Kerry Blackshear Jr. who produced 12 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists, and three steals.
Nick Mayo and Keijiro Mitani both put up 18 markers to lead the Japanese team in scoring. Mayo also grabbed eight rebounds and issued two dimes, while Mitani stole the ball thrice.
On the other hand, San Miguel import Torren Jones paced the team with 24 points and 13 rebounds, while June Mar Fajardo added 12 markers and nine boards.
EASL Final Four 2025, set for March 7-9, will award a $1 million prize to the champion, $500,000 to the runner-up, and $250,000 for third place.
The scores:
HIROSHIMA 94 – Mayo 18, Mitani 18, Blackshear 12, Nakamura 11, Yamazaki 11, Watanabe 9, Kawata 7, Roberts 5, Ichikawa 3, Kamisawa 0, Takeuchi 0.
SAN MIGUEL 63 – Jones 24, Fajardo 12, Tiongson 9, Lassiter 4, Tautuaa 4, Ross 3, Perez 3, Teng 2, Cruz 2, Cahilig 0.
Quarter Scores: 30-18; 52-37; 68-51; 94-63.
Northport finally snapped a 14-game losing streak after a nail-biting 119-116 win over Ginebra with Joshua Munzon playing a huge role in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup on Wednesday night, January 8, at the Philsports Arena.
“It’s a statement win for us,” declared Batang Pier head coach Bonnie Tan, whose team maintained its lead in the rankings with its impressive 7-1 win-loss record.
Despite Northport's explosive 5-0 conference debut, there were questions regarding the team's legitimacy. Tan hopes that his Batang Pier's thrilling victory over the Gin Kings will ultimately diminish doubts.
"Everyone's questioning the status of the team, that we are not winning against the big teams. I hope with this win, we proved that we're here to win games," said Tan. "We're here to be competitive. We are not just here to participate."
In front of a hostile crowd in Pasig, the team’s success was centered on the formidable trio of import Kadeem Jack and local aces Arvin Tolentino and Munzon, with the latter assuming the role of main protagonist for the Batang Pier in one of their greatest victories in franchise history against the crowd darlings.
Munzon scattered 27 points on the stat sheets, along with two rebounds, six assists, two steals, and one block, hailing him the Best Player of the Game.
“Going into the break, we knew that we will 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.
“We were able to stick to the game plan and we made it happen,” he added.
Munzon’s efforts proved to be sufficient for the team as Tolentino, who finished with 29 markers and five boards prior to his exit, was fouled out in the closing seconds of the game.
Jack top scored for the Batang Pier, finishing with a game-high 39 points on top of 16 rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
Munzon and the Batang Pier have a chance to convert more skeptics into believers when they face another league contender in Meralco on Tuesday, January 14, at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The Scores:
NorthPort 119 – Jack 32, Tolentino 29, Munzon 27, Flores 9, Navarro 8, Bulanadi 5, Onwubere 4, Cuntapay 3, Yu 2, Nelle 0, Jalalon 0.
Ginebra 116 – Brownlee 23, Thompson 17, Rosario 17, Abarrientos 17, Ahanmisi 12, Holt 11, Cu 9, J.Aguilar 8, Tenorio 2.
Quarter Scores: 31-27, 67-58, 98-87, 119-116.