MANILA – NorthPort continued its late roll in the PBA Governors' Cup after dealing Blackwater a 116-103 rout on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Three days after joining Gilas Pilipinas for the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers February window at the said arena last weekend, Robert Bolick dropped 30 points for the Batang Pier as their starting five led the way in sweeping the Bossing early on.
Engaged in a tight battle for most of the first quarter, NorthPort slowly pulled away from Blackwater as the game went by, eventually opening a 95-75 lead at the end of the third quarter.
The Bossing threatened a comeback, cutting the lead to just eight points, 99-91, with seven minutes left in the fourth.
But a booming triple from Arwind Santos helped douse cold water on their last stand as he sparked the deciding 12-4 Batang Pier run that sealed their win.
Bolick shot 11-for-21 from the field including 6-of-12 from three-point range even as he too had a double-double with 11 rebounds alongside six assists, three steals, and one block for NorthPort, which has now won four straight games since starting 0-5.
Santos too had a double-double with 21 markers and 13 boards alongside one dime and one block even as Jamel Artis came close to one of his own with 26 points and nine assists along with five rebounds.
NorthPort weathered a 47-point explosion from Shawn Glover as Blackwater fell to its 28th straight loss overall, going 0-9 in the conference. (PNA)
