BLACKWATER took down a powerhouse team, which might still be nursing a broken heart.
The Elite provided a scintillating showing in pulling off a 107-101 upset victory over Philippine Cup finalist Alaska for its second straight win in the 2016 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup Friday night at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Balanced scoring was the key as Blackwater had six players scoring in double-figures.
Continuing his consistent scoring spree, Carlo Lastimosa, for the third straight time, led the Elite with his game-high 24 points, to go with two rebounds and three assists, while import MJ Rhett was just as impressive as he registered a triple-double of 18 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists.
With this surprising good start, Blackwater, which capitalized on the absence of Alaska import Rob Dozier due to an undisclosed injury, now holds a 2-1 slate, good for solo second place at the moment for the young franchise’s best start in the league.
“A win is a win and we’re happy with this one,’’ said Blackwater coach Leo Isaac. ‘’We now have to continue on with this and improve even more.’’
Reil Cervantes was also on target with 21 points for the Elite and Bam Gamalinda scored 12, while guards Raphy Reyes and Mike Cortez each added 10 markers each.
As early as the opening minutes, Blackwater, through its aggressiveness, took control early, opening up a double-digit lead right away, 22-10, in the closing minutes of the first quarter.
Though Alaska fought back and inched within just a single point, 50-51, at the half, Blackwater was really determined to make its upset bullet count as it regained command with a solid second half.
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(Alonte Sports Center, Biñan Laguna)
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