MANILA, Philippines - Smart Gilas Pilipinas opened its campaign in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup in style, topping all-Filipino champion Talk n Text, 103-98, at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo last night.
The Nationals held their own against the Tropang Texters, pulling off the win that underscored their capability to contend for the championship.
Six-foot-10 naturalization candidate Marcus Douthit imposed his presence at the paint, collecting 26 rebounds, 16 points and five blocks, and the entire Phl team showed a gutsy stand throughout, overcoming Talk n Text in a fierce match marked by seven deadlocks and 10 lead changes.
Douthit, Aldrech Ramos, Chris Lassiter and Chris Tiu banged in clutch baskets that had the Nationals beating the Texters at the finish.
TnT had a chance to force overtime but Ryan Reyes missed a three-point attempt in the closing seconds. The Texters had two muffed tries from beyond the arc earlier.
“Before this game, there were doubts on Smart Gilas and on the program, so it’s really a big win for us,” said Smart Gilas coach Rajko Toroman.
Seven Nationals put in double-figure outputs, led by Douthit and Lassiter with 16 apiece.
Douthit gave his teammates confidence to shoot as he dominated the boards, finishing with the most number of rebounds by any player in the PBA since Sta. Lucia import Lee Benson also grabbed 26 caroms in a game during the 2008 Fiesta Cup.
“I’m trying to contribute as much as I can. Today (yesterday), it was rebounding. Maybe next time, I’ll try to score more,” said Douthit.
Tiu and Ramos made 15 points apiece while JV Casio, Mark Barroca and Mac Baracael added 14, 13 and 12, respectively.
Baracael sat down the closing minutes and was sent straight to a nearby hospital to have his left wrist checked on.
The Nationals, who are preparing for the Asian Olympic qualifier in Wuhan, China in September, blew hot and cold in the first three quarters but showed mental toughness to beat the Texters at endgame.
Josh Urbiztondo sizzled with a career-high 31 points and Air21 stunned San Miguel Beer, 92-87, in its own impressive debut in the tourney later in the night.
source: philstar.com
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