PBA: Singletary sizzles with 43 as Barako blasts GlobalPort

Mike Singletary posted 43 points while Emman Monfort sank clutch charities in the final minute to lift Barako Bull Energy past the GlobalPort Batang Pier, 98-97, on Sunday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum, in the 2013 PBA Governors' Cup.

With 29 seconds left in the game, GlobalPort's defense forced Barako Bull import Michael Singletary to launch a difficult three that he missed badly. Markeith Cummings collared the rebound and everyone expected GlobalPort to call a timeout. However, they decided to play on with less than five seconds left in the game. Sol Mercado then threw up a prayer from way downtown that missed to give Barako Bull the game.

As a result, Barako tied the Meralco Bolts for second place at 4-2. GlobalPort meanwhile fell to solo ninth place with a 2-4 card.

"I don't know why coach Junel did not call a timeout. You have to ask him," said Barako Bull consultant Rajko Toroman. "We expected him to call a timeout but he didn't. That's basketball."

Barako Bull banked on a big fourth quarter run to bag the victory. They outscored GlobalPort 30-14 in the payoff period thanks to Singletary's 14 fourth quarter points.

The prolific Barako Bull import led all scorers with 43 points in the game. Mark Macapagal added 11 points while Danny Seigle chipped in 10, all in the fourth.

"GlobalPort was the better team for three quarters. It was very difficult to win this game," said Toroman. "We were down big but we didn't stop playing. Finally I found the five that did something good on the court."

Barako Bull started the game strong with a 4-0 run by JC Intal and Emman Monfort. However, after coming up empty on their first three possessions, GlobalPort quickly unleashed a 7-2 run to grab the lead.

Gary David went coast-to-coast for a layup at the 7:10 mark of the first quarter. A Michael Singletary three was followed by four straight points from Markeith Cummings for a 15-12 lead for GlobalPort, halfway into the opening period.

Mark Macapagal and Willie Miller exchanged triples in the closing minute of the first quarter to settle the score at 27-23 in favor of Batang Pier.

In the second quarter, Celino Cruz was called for a flagrant foul as he held down Cummings who was going full speed towards the basket. Two free throws from Cummings were followed by a jumper from Jondan Salvador to give GlobalPort a 35-27 lead. On the very next play, Monfort was also called for a flagrant foul, this time on AJ Mandani, who made his free throws to stretch their lead to 10 points.

Macapagal stopped the Batang Pier run with a triple followed by a put-back from Dorian Pena that halved GlobalPort's lead.

Batang Pier rebuilt an eight-point lead at the 3:14 mark after a Sol Mercado basket followed an assist to Cummings. Mercado added a triple and an-one play with less than a minute remaining in the first half to give GlobalPort a 55-43 advantage.

Cummings led all scorers at the break with 25 points, while adding five rebounds and four assists. Mercado backed him up with 12 points.

Singletary paced Barako Bull with 16 points. However none of his teammates managed to score in double-digits.


Ronjay Buenafe heated up early in the third quarter to cut GlobalPort's lead down to seven at 57-50. However, Barako Bull was not able to sustain their momentum. A hook shot from Yousef Taha was followed by an and-one play from Mercado to build a 68-53 lead for GlobalPort at the 7:21 mark of the third.

Back-to-back dunks from Cummings and Washington gave GlobalPort a 1-point lead. After a Singletary jumper, Cummings sank a triple for a 75-57 score in their favor. GlobalPort ended the quarter holding an 83-68 lead.

Barako Bull started the fourth quarter by going on a scorching 15-2 run led by Danny Seigle and Singletary. A layup by Seigle off a David turnover got the Energy Cola within a basket at 85-83. Singletary then tied the ball game on their next play with a dunk.

Cummings restored some order in the game for GlobalPort as he scored on a layup at the 6:10 mark of the fourth to regain the lead for Batang Pier. However, Seigle continued his hot shooting in the fourth as he tied the game anew at 87-all.

Gary David finally made his presence at the 4:28 mark with a booming triple, but Singletary got it right back with his own three for a 90-all count.

Singletary found Macapagal wide open for a trey with 1:55 left in the game to give Barako Bull a 96-94 lead. A Mercado split cut the Barako Bull lead down to a single point. Then, after completing a stop, Batang Pier had a golden chance to take the lead, but Hans Thiele's shot was blocked by Seigle.

Emman Monfort and Washington exchanged buckets for a 98-97 count in Barako Bull's favor with 29 seconds left in the game, leading up to the final sequence

"If GlobalPort won, they would have deserved it," Toroman said. "But we were just lucky." Barako Bull struggled from the field, shooting only at 37.8 percent compared to GlobalPort's 48.6% clip. However, Barako Bull got hot when it mattered, while Batang Pier fizzled out.

Cummings led GlobalPort with 40 points. However, he only scored four in the final quarter. Mercado added 16 for Batang Pier while David added 11. Yousef Taha played a huge game with 10 points and 13 rebounds, but it was all for naught as the Batang Pier collapsed late in the game. - RAF, GMA News


The scores:

Barako Bull 98 - Singletary 43, Macapagal 11, Seigle 10, Buenafe 9, Intal 7, Pennisi 5, Pena 5, Monfort 4, Cruz 2, Villanueva 2, Jensen 0, Weinstein 0, Gonzales 0

GlobalPort 97 - Cummings 40, Mercado 16, David 11, Taha 10, Washington 9, Belencion 4, Miller 3, Mandani 2, Salvador 2, Hayes 0, Thiele 0

Quarter scoring: 23-27, 43-55, 68-83, 98-97