Arvin Tolentino shows why he is a worthy leader of NorthPort in its recovery against Eastern in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup on Friday, Dec. 20.
There is no better way to rebound from a loss than to put up an error-free performance.
Such was exactly what Arvin Tolentino did as NorthPort derailed Eastern, 120-113, in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup on Friday, Dec. 20.
Tolentino finished with 35 points on 10-for-16 shooting from the field that went with six rebounds, three assists and a block in a sterling game where he also wound up without a single turnover.
“It’s always fun 'pag dayo 'yung kalaban mo. Mayroon laging factor 'yung gusto mong manalo. That’s what happened today. I’m happy na maganda ang nilaro ko ngayon,” said Tolentino after the match at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.
More importantly, the Batang Pier took solo lead with a superior 6-1 record in the mid-season conference.
Tolentino effectively backstopped import Kadeem Jack, who churned out a team-best 38 points on top of nine rebounds, two assists, three steals and two blocks.
Joshua Munzon scored 15 while William Navarro chipped in 10 markers, seven boards, four dimes and a denial.
[RELATED STORY: NorthPort back on track, bests erstwhile co-leader Eastern in PBA Commissioner's Cup]
The Batang Pier turned a narrow 106-102 lead into a breakaway via a furious 10-3 run capped by Tolentino’s basket in transition.
Kobey Lam would score two four-pointers after that but NorthPort completely shut the door on the guest team after Fran Yu’s freebies with eight ticks left to play.
Christopher McLaughlin paced Eastern with 26 points and 19 rebounds. He also had five assists and a block.
Hayden Blankley fired 24 points anchored on three triples with 10 rebounds to boot, while Lam finished with 18 markers.
The Scores:
NORTHPORT 120 – Jack 38, Tolentino 35, Munzon 15, Navarro 10, Yu 9, Nelle 5, Flores 4, Onwubere 4, Bulanadi 0, Miranda 0, Cuntapay 0.
EASTERN 113 – McLaughlin 26, Blankley 24, Lam 18, Yang 13, Guinchard 9, Chan 7, Xu 6, Cheung 4, Leung 3, Zhu 3, Pok 0.
Quarterscores: 27-32, 63-60, 90-87, 120-113