PBA: Globalport opens Governors' Cup with win over Air21

(Updated 7:48pm) GlobalPort Batang Pier began their 2013 Governor's Cup campaign with a wire-to-wire win over the Air21 Express, 101-94, on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Markieth Cummings, their new import, led all scorers with 37 points, along with 14 rebounds and three steals. Jay Washington, acquired during the offseason for Japeth Aguilar, had 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists in his debut for the Batang Pier. Rookie free agent Jaypee Belencion added 14 points, including 4-of-9 makes from beyond the arc, while veteran Willie Miller scattered 10 markers.

Head coach Junel Baculi said that working with this roster, featuring eight new players including Cummings, was going to be a challenge.

"If can make Ws out of this while in the process of building chemistry, we'll take that," said Baculi. "We just have to go through it and see what happens. We're not promising anything but we'll see what we can do to get those Ws.

"I was a little nervous out there at the beginning, and it took me a bit to settle in. I like this team because of the effort they put in. I'm not afraid to work off those guys," said Washington, formerly of the Petron Blaze Boosters.

"This feels like Harbor Center Batang Pier basketball. I'm excited, and it's only going to get better when Gary [David] gets back," agreed point guard Sol Mercado.

The marquee player of GlobalPort, Gary David, sat out today's game, as he was granted a break following his stint with Gilas Pilipinas in the FIBA Asia Championship.

In the first quarter, GlobalPort leaned on new import Markieth Cummings to put points on the board, as they took an early 14-5 lead. But the Express made a late push, and charities by Zach Graham pulled them within two points, 20-18, with under two minutes to play.

The Batang Pier responded strongly though, as Cummings finished a one-handed dunk in traffic, helping them hold a 24-20 margin after the first period.

Both teams went back-and-forth in the second quarter, but GlobalPort maintained the upper hand when it came to pushing the ball. Cummings, Sol Mercado and Jaypee Belencion connected from long distance to blow the game open, 47-30, midway through the frame.

With under four minutes to play, Graham ended the drought for the Express with a breakaway layup. Air21 finished the half strong, disrupting GlobalPort's offense to force several isolation breakdowns, and end the half with a more manageable deficit, 53-42.


Air21 slipped after the break, but were able to trim their deficit to 10 points, 69-59, following charities by Mark Isip with around five minutes to play. However, they faced an uphill climb as they found themselves in the penalty situation, which led to Willie Miller obliging with two makes from the line. The Batang Pier led by as much as 15 points in the frame before allowing Graham to score six straight to end the third period, leading 78-68.

Wynne Arboleda led a resurgent Express early in the fourth quarter, nailing a triple to bring the lead down to single digits, 83-76. But turnovers quickly did them in, and GlobalPort reeled off a 13-4 run, reestablishing a 96-80 lead with five minutes left. Globalport never led by less than seven points the rest of the way.

Both teams shot 40.5 percent from the field, with GlobalPort converting 34-of-84 and Air21 making 30-of-74. Batang Pier took a 20-6 margin in turnover points off a 10-19 count in miscues.

Returning import Zach Graham led Air21 with 31 points and 10 rebounds, while KG Canaleta added 19 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Mark Isip registered 14 points. - AMD/RAF, GMA News


The scores:

GlobalPort 101 - Cummings 37, Washington 15, Belencion 14, Miller 10, Lingganay 8, Mercado 8, Hayes 6, Salvador 2, Yee 1, Buensuceso 0, Taha 0, Nabong 0, Alonzo 0

Air21 94 - Graham 31, Canaleta 19, Isip 13, Menor 9, Sharma 8, Arboleda 7, Sena 2, Custodio 2, Cortez 2, Omolon 1, Manuel 0

Quarter scoring: 24-20, 53-42, 78-68, 101-94