Big man Moala Tautuaa finally showed why he was the first overall pick of the 2015 PBA Draft.
Tautuaa muscled his way to a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds to power the NorthPort Batang Pier past the NLEX Road Warriors, 95-90, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.
The core of NorthPort once again came through in the clutch to lead the Batang Pier to a tough victory and stay unbeaten in the 2019 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup.
Sean Anthony was brilliant from start to finish, notching a game-high 22 points with nine rebounds.
The backcourt tandem of Robert Bolick and Stanley Pringle helped the Batang Pier’s cause further, adding 14 and 11 points, respectively.
As a result, NorthPort now finds itself at the top of the heap with a clean 2-0 slate.
On the other hand, NLEX dropped to 0-2 after tasting another defeat.
The Batang Pier gained a much needed leverage early in the fourth after starting the quarter on a 10-5 run to take a key 81-75 lead with 8:33 remaining.
NorthPort carried its lead the rest of the way but not without some danger.
Larry Fonacier’s lay-up with 1:47 left pulled the Road Warriors within just three, 89-92.
But the Batang Pier kept its composure as Tautuua countered by sinking a hook shot inside to make it 94-89 with 1:32 remaining.
NorthPort held on from there.
Evenly matched, the foes fought toe-to-toe for most of the game, exchanging runs throughout.
At the end of three, NorthPort was only ahead by a single point, 71-70.
JP Erram led NLEX with 19 points and seven boards in the losing cause.
As of this writing, Barangay Ginebra (1-0) and San Miguel Beer (0-1) are battling each other in a highly-anticipated contest.
The scores:
NorthPort 95 – Anthony 22, Tautuaa 18, Bolick 14, Pringle 11, Taha 9, Elorde 8, Arana 4, Guinto 3, Flores 2, Lanete 2, Grey 2, Gabayni 0, Sollano 0.
NLEX 90 – Erram 19, Quinahan 18, Galanza 11, Paniamogan 10, Magat 8, Tallo 7, Fonacier 5, Baguio 4, Ighalo 2, Alas 2, Soyud 2, Porter 2, Taulava 0, Rios 0.
Quarter scores: 25-22, 48-46, 71-70, 95-90.
