PBA: Barako Bull ends Commissioner's Cup campaign with win over GlobalPort

Barako Bull Energy Cola salvaged a rocky PBA Commissioner's Cup elimination round performance with a win over GlobalPort Batang Pier, 96-87, Sunday, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, in the last assignment of both these two squads. The win ends a two-game skid for Barako Bull, as they bow out of the conference, ranked ninth with a 5-9 card, after losing seven of their last nine games. They had been eliminated yesterday from playoffs contention after the Air21 Express won against the Petron Blaze Boosters in overtime, 95-91. Meanwhile GlobalPort (2-12) ended the Commissioner's Cup at the bottom of the league on an 11-game losing streak after starting the conference 2-1. BBEC used a 23-13 rally in the third quarter to build a 16-point lead early in the fourth. GlobalPort tried to rally in the final canto and slashed their deficit to three in the last minute on a Willie Miller trey, but the Batang Pier just couldn't make that final push to go over their foes. Allein Maliksi led Barako Bull with 25 points and 12 rebounds, including a 3-of-6 mark from deep. Josh Urbiztondo added 17 points and nine assists, while import DJ Mbenga had 14 points and 15 rebounds. Mac Macapagal and Danny Seigle finished with 12 and 11 points, respectively, while combining for 11 rebounds. "We were fighting to win this game," said Barako Bull consultant Raijko Toroman, stressing the importance of ending the conference with a victory. "We had a lot of chances to do something [to get into the playoffs] so it's our fault, not Petron's." Toroman however expressed optimism regarding the team's future in the coming conferences. "Of course it's a disappointing season for us since we looked good and played basketball. We lost our chemistry in the past few games, but this team has potential and talent. It's just a matter of time before this team becomes more competitive." Gary David came out firing early as he opened the game with a three-pointer, en route to scoring GlobalPort's first seven from range. Barako Bull countered with easy baskets in transition, looking for DJ Mbenga as they trailed, 11-9. The shots stopped falling inside for Barako Bull, allowing GlobalPort to make a 9-2 run, highlighted by a Jason Deutchman triple, as Batang Pier's jumpers gave them a 20-11 advantage. However Barako Bull pushed the ball in transition, as Allein Maliksi anchored a string of nine unanswered points, to knot things at 20-all. However Batang Pier had the last say, as Willie Miller hit a three from the left wing to give them a 23-20 lead after the first period. Batang Pier made 10-of-23 field goals in the first period (43.5 percent) against Barako Bull's 6-of-24 mark (25 percent). However Barako Bull had the advantage in hustle categories such as fast break points (11-2) and points off turnovers (7-2). The second period started slowly for Barako Bull, but they stayed alive thanks to triples by Mick Pennisi and Maliksi. Batang Pier's role players held their own though, as the likes of Mark Yee and Jondan Salvador took turns putting points on the board, 35-32. After struggling against GlobalPort's defense for most of the quarter, Barako Bull broke loose in the last two minutes, as inside buckets by Mbenga sandwiched a Mac Macapagal trey. The 7-0 spurt gave Barako Bull the lead at halftime, 39-35. When play resumed, Josh Urbiztondo keyed Barako Bull's offense with his penetration and scoring, including a lob for a two-handed slam by Danny Seigle to put them up by five. Japeth Aguilar however raised the stakes with consecutive dunks of his own on the other end to get within one, 48-47. The highlight reel wasn't over, as Seigle dunked another one off an Emman Monfort lob, and Maliksi erupted for 11 points in a 16-6 rally. Maliksi converted an and-one, one of his several highlight plays of the quarter, for a 62-50 lead. David nailed a three-pointer to help the Batang Pier make up some lost ground with over two minutes remaining, but Barako Bull wasn't finished yet. JC Intal led a 7-2 run as time wound down, capped by an Emman Monfort basket, to take a 69-55 lead into the final frame. In the fourth quarter, the Batang Pier found its bearings from the free throw line, before their shooters adjusted their aim. Jumpers by Will Antonio and AJ Mandani helped trim the lead to single digits, before triples by David sandwiched an Urbiztondo trey to make it a 78-70 game. GlobalPort slowly hacked away at the lead while Barako Bull struggled mightily despite open looks and offensive boards. Mark Yee's hustle netted him a couple of and-ones, and another David three-pointer helped bring the lead down to two, 85-83. But Urbiztondo connected from deep at the right time, creating a five-point bubble with under two minutes to play. After trading defensive stops, Urbiztondo made a driving baseline lay-up to create a six-point gap. Willie Miller converted a triple with 42 seconds remaining, but Batang Pier was unable to hit from the field anew in the ensuing possessions, allowing Barako Bull to close the game out from the line. Barako Bull shot 12-of-24 in the third quarter to help them finish with 32-of-86 overall (37.2 percent). Meanwhile GlobalPort made only 9-of-27 in the third to finish 34-of-99 overall (34.3 percent). Barako Bull also led in fast break points, 19-12, while GlobalPort led 13-4 in second-chance points. Three-point shooting was a key difference between both teams, as Barako Bull was 10-of-33 (30.3 percent). Batang Pier was 9-of-40 from beyond the arc (22.5 percent) with Yee, Miller and Morgan combining for 2-of-13. Gary David led all scorers with 28 points, including 6-of-15 three pointers. Mark Yee was the only other Batang Pier player in double figures with 11 points and five boards. Import Sly Morgan notched seven points and 20 rebounds. - CLP / AMD, GMA News The scores: BARAKO 96 - Maliksi 25, Urbiztondo 17, Mbenga 14, Macapagal 12, Seigle 11, Monfort 7, Intal 5, Pennisi 5, Duncil 0, Kramer 0. GLOBALPORT 87 - David 28, Yee 11, Aguilar 8, Miller 8, Morgan 7, Deutchman 7, Mandani 4, Aljamal 4, Salvador 4, Lingganay 2, Juntilla 2, Antonio 2, Belencion 0. Quarter scoring: 20-23, 39-35, 69-56, 96-87