GETTING into the PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals may be a distant possibility for Blackwater. But that would not stop the Elite from continuing to try.
Allein Maliksi's big game rubbed off on some of his teammates and Blackwater avoided its usual endgame collapse to eke out a 106-100 decision over Columbian Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Maliksi finished with a game-high 29 points on top of six rebounds and five assists, Mac Belo added 22 markers and nine rebounds and rookie Paul Desiderio 10 points plus a crucial endgame play that helped snap the Elite out of a four-game slide.
In his first game of the season, Rabeh Al-Hussaini had 11 points and four rebounds in 18 minutes.
The triumph was only the second in eight games for Blackwater and left it at 11th-running spot. The team still needs to sweep all its remaining three games to even have a chance of playing off for the last spot in the top eight advancing to the next round.
Sponsored content:
Still, coach Bong Ramos was left elated by his charges' gritty showing that was in stark contrast to their endgame collapse in a 101-103 loss to Alaska last Feb. 13.
"At least we know how to finish the game already," noted Ramos. "We were able to finish the game strong.
"Natuwa ako sa mga players dahil they really want to win today. I'm happy to get this win."
The loss foiled Columbian's bid to follow up its 86-85 squeaker over Meralco just last Wednesday and the Dyip dropped to a 3-5 slate overall.
CJ Perez rebounded from an eight-point game against the Bolts to finish with 22 while Rashawn McCarthy heated up in the second half to wind up with 18.
Sponsored content:
Glenn Khobuntin came off the bench for 17 points on a perfect 6-of-6 clip from the field and his drive following a triple each by Perez and Eric Camson capped an 8-0 surge that pulled the Dyip within 100-102, still 36.7 ticks left.
But, after a Maliksi miss, Desiderio corralled the ball that led to a pair of Roi Sumang freebies that made it a safe four-point lead.
McCarthy, whose career-best 30 points powered Columbian over Meralco, then sealed the yip's doom when he committed a five-second violation on the ensuing inbound. Desiderio then sealed the deal with his own charities.
Ramos said his team's last week of practice, focusing on Columbian's usual game, was also a key factor.
"Nakatulong talaga 'yung two weeks na walang laro," said Ramos. "So wala kaming ginawa kundi yung ginagawa lang ng Dyip. Tinignan lang namin kung ano bagong ginawa nila last Wednesday and we saw that. So idinagdag lang namin kahapon."
That readiness showed most in the fourth period when Blackwater broke out of the game's last tie at 78. Maliksi's left-handed drive and Desiderio's twisting jumper sparked and capped a17-9 exchange that put the Elite ahead by 95-87.
Columbian's own grit was showcased earlier, when it refused to be daunted by an early 10-point deficit and even made it a tight ballgame.
The scores:
Blackwater 106 - Maliksi 29, Belo 22, Deaiderio 12 Sumang 11, Al-Hussaini 11, Javier 6, Banal 5, Sena 4 Digregorio 4 Jose 1, Tratter 1 Cortez 0, 0 Alolino.
Columbian 100 - Perez 22, McCarthy 18, Khobuntin 17, Camson 13, Escoto 7, Corpuz 7, Calvo 5, Faundo 3 Cabrera 3 Agovida 2 Cahilig 0.
Quarters: 24-19, 51-50, 78-75, 106-100.
