Saudi Gazette MANILA — The GlobalPort Batang Pier unleashed the firepower of their vaunted backcourt tandem of Stanley Pringle and Terrence Romeo to beat the Star Hotshots, 101-94, for their first win in two games in the PBA Philippine Cup Friday night. Bouncing back from a loss against the defending champion San Miguel Beer, the Batang Pier played high-octane offense all-night long to catch the Hotshots flat-footed. Pringle scored a game-high 23 points as he combined with Romeo who finished with 20 points as the Gilas Pilipinas star bounced back from a sub-par performance in GlobalPort's loss to SMB. Doug Kramer and Keith Jensen tallied 14 and 12 points, respectively. Jay Washington chipped in 10 markers, while Billy Mamaril and Joseph Yeo added eight apiece. GlobalPort won the game not only for the 1-2 scoring punch of Pringle and Romeo but also for its air-tight defense that forced Star to commit 22 turnovers that translated into 28 points off errors and 14 off the fastbreak. Ahead by just a point at the start of the fourth quarter, the Batang Pier went on a 17-2 run, capped by two Pringle free throws that gave GlobalPort its biggest lead at 91-75, putting the Hotshots in a hole too deep to climb over. Marc Pingris led Star with 14 points, while Mark Barroca had 13. PJ Simon and Ian Sangalang combined for 23, while Norbert Torres and James Yap registered 10 each. Alaska 87, Blackwater 79 The Alaska Aces exerted just enough effort to carve out an 87-79 victory over the Blackwater Elite to record their second straight win, thus gaining a share of the lead. After their spectacular victory over early tournament favorite Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters last week, the Aces started cold and even trailed the Elite by seven points at halftime. They only started playing real Alaska ball in the second half when they put on their patented pressure defense, limiting Blackwater to a miserable 30-percent (24-of-79) shooting overall. Vic Manuel and Chris Banchero led Alaska, scoring 13 points apiece both off the bench. Manuel scored eight of his points in the final quarter, including a layup off a JVee Casio feed that gave the Aces their biggest lead at 79-71. Manuel added seven rebounds and two blocks. Tony dela Cruz Casio added 11 and 10 points, respectively, as only one of Alaska's 14 players did not score. JP Erram led Blackwater in a losing effort, finishing with 13 points, nine boards, and two steals as the Elite absorbed their second straight defeat. Games Saturday: Talk N Text Tropang Texters vs. Mahindra Enforcers and Barako Bull Energy vs. Barangay Ginebra Kings.
