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| Jason Deutchman rifled in 20 big points as the Batang Pier notched their first win. |
In a draft
filled with big names (June Mar Fajardo, Calvin Abueva, Chris Tiu, Cliff Hodge,
and Chris Ellis among others), AJ Mandani and Jason Deutchman were just a
couple of “intriguing” Fil-foreigners.
Deutchman, a
6’6” product of the San Diego State Aztec Warriors, was chosen by Global Port
as the last pick of the first round, while Mandani, a 5’11” guard out of the
Missouri S&T Joe Miners program, was chosen in the second round behind
Yousef Taha, Dave Marcelo, and Jewel Ponferrada.
Before their
game against the Meralco Bolts, Deutchman and Mandani averaged a combined 14.0ppg,
6.0rpg, 3.7apg, 1.0spg, and 1.0bpg in Global Port’s first three games, which
were all losses. Against the Bolts, Jason and AJ paired up for 32 points, 16
rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. Wow. Big diff right there.
With Gary
David momentarily out, fellow rookie Vic Manuel a little inconsistent, and the
enigmatic Rabeh Al-Hussaini remaining, well, enigmatic, the Batang Pier’s
fortunes might rest on how well both Deutchman and Mandani can step up and produce.
As the
tourney goes on, I have no doubt David and Willie Miller will still be the
focal points of Global Port’s play, but I’m also sure Coach Glenn Capacio
wouldn’t mind seeing some of his young guns flash fine form.
Game Recaps:
GLOBAL PORT BATANG PIER over
MERALCO BOLTS, 105-104
Veteran
Willie Miller had 33 points and 11 rebounds in GlobalPort’s come-from-behind
105-104 victory over the Meralco Bolts Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
It was the
first PBA victory for the franchise for the Batang Pier, who also relied on a
strong finishing kick from rookies Jason Deutchman and AJ Mandani.
“Akala ko hindi pa aabot ngayon,” said GlobalPort rookie coach Glenn
Capacio.
“Siguro ako
among the coaches ang ni-ni-nerbiyos dahil I’m searching for my first win.
Grabe mga teams sa PBA. Halos lahat malalakas. Mahirap yung first win, pero
malaking bagay ito medyo down mag-iiba pakiramdam ng mga players.”
Miller was a
steady presence all game long, but it was rookies Deutchman and Mandani who
delivered the most crucial baskets.
Deutchman
scored 20 points, including three key three-pointers in the fourth quarter. His
last three-pointer gave GlobalPort the lead for good, 100-99, with 1:13 left.
In the
Batang Pier’s next offensive play, it was Mandani who rose to the challenge,
completing a three-point play for a 103-99 tally.
After two
missed attempts by Sunday Salvacion from beyond the arc, Ronjay Buenafe finally
buried a three-pointer to put the Bolts within striking distance.
Rabeh Al-Hussaini,
who scored 17 points, made two free throws for the Batang Pier, giving them a
three-point lead with five seconds left.
Without a
timeout left, Sol Mercado rushed to the other end, but surprisingly went
coast-to-coast for a layup instead of a three-pointer to tie the game.
GLO 105 – Miller 33, Deutchman 20,
Al-Hussaini 17, Mandani 12, Manuel 6, Guevarra 6, Yee 5, Vanlandingham 4,
Salvador 2, Lingganay 0, Cruz 0, Antonio 0
MER 104 – Mercado 30, Buenafe 30, Hodge
15, Reyes 7, Nabong 6, Hugnatan 5, Artadi 4, Salvacion 3, Belencion 2, Cardona
2, Bulawan 0, Borboran 0, Sharma 0.
QS: 25-25, 52-48, 76-87, 105-104
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| Sol Mercado's mental lapse in the endgame may have cost the Bolts a chance at forcing extra time. |
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| Willie Miller dropped 33 to carry the fight for Global Port. |
TALK N TEXT TROPANG TEXTERS over
AIR21 EXPRESS, 96-89
Be it in the
PBA or the UAAP, Norman Black wants to continue his winning reputation.
The
multi-titled coach notched his first official win as coach of the Talk ‘N Text
Tropang Texters, leading his team to a 96-89 triumph over the Air 21 Express on
Wednesday night at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Black
coached the team in their 108-104 win over GlobalPort just one day after
leading the Ateneo Blue Eagles to its fifth consecutive UAAP championship but
was unable to inform the PBA in time to be officially named head coach.
This was his first official game as coach of the Tropang Texters.
The win
enabled the Tropang Texters to pick up their third win in as many games and
climb into the solo lead in the team standings.
“We played
much better in the second half. We gave up too much in the post on KG
(Canaleta) and (Bitoy) Omolon in the first half. We switched bigger players on
them,” said Black.
Ranidel de
Ocampo finished with 19 points while Jimmy Alapag, who achieved a milestone by
becoming the latest player to make at least 1,000 three-point shots, added 16
points on 4-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc.
Black
admitted he tried to get out of their structured offense to get their latest
victory.
“Our offense
is still a work in progress. But I’m satisfied with the way we played defense,
particularly in the second half. We implemented a free flowing offense,” he
added.
TNT 96 – De Ocampo 19, Alapag 16,
Castro 14, Williams 14, Reyes 9, Fonacier 8, Dillinger 6, Ferriols 4, Carey 3,
Peek 3, Gamalinda 0
A21 89 – Canaleta 21, Wilson 18,
Arboleda 14, Omolon 10, Isip 8, Baclao 7, Ritualo 5, Atkins 2, Sena 2, Escobal
2, Taha 0
QS: 20-28, 45-50, 76-67, 96-89
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| Jimmy Alapag shows Simon Atkins how it's done in the pros. |
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| Nino Canaleta tries some fancy dribbling to get past Jared Dillinger. |
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| Nonoy Baclao and Ranidel De Ocampo try to muscle each other out of position. |
Source: Unless otherwise specified, game
recaps were compressed and compiled from InterAKTV. (Writing credit to Rey
Joble.)
Images: All images are from InterAKTV.
(Photo credit to Paul Ryan Tan)
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