By Ivan Saldajeno
MANILA--Blackwater finally tallied a win in the PBA Commissioner's Cup, dealing GlobalPort another heartbreaking defeat, 118-113, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay on Saturday.
The Elite came alive in the fourth quarter and withstood one final push from the Batang Pier to grab their first victory sans Mac Belo and Arth Dela Cruz, who will likely be out for the conference due to their respective injuries.
GlobalPort weathered Blackwater's hot start and even led by 11, 86-75, midway in the third quarter.
But Blackwater waxed hot in the early goings of the fourth, starting the period on a 26-10 run to take a 114-105 lead with 2:49 remaining.
The Batang Pier still made it a game, scoring eight unanswered points capped by a bank shot from Terrence Romeo from deep to draw to within one, 113-114, with 1:11 remaining.
Romeo, however, eventually lost steam as he missed two consecutive triples in the end that could have kept them further in the match as the Elite scored the final four points.
Greg Smith led Blackwater with 40 points, 19 rebounds, four assists, and two steals, while Mike Di Gregorio added 18 points, one rebound, and three assists.
Romeo finished with 35 points on 9-of-14 shooting from three-point land for GlobalPort, the third player in PBA history with eight or more treys in a single game.
Malcolm White debuted with a bang, tallying 33 points, 17 rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and two steals, but his efforts came short as the team slipped to 0-4.
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