VENKY Jois exploded with 43 points to power NorthPort Batang Pier to their first victory, 108-103, over TerraFirma Dyip in the PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Jois, the 30-year-old import from Australia, displayed a near-flawless performance with 19-of-27 shooting, 10 rebounds, three assists, and three steals under the guidance of coach Bonnie Tan.

Tan was cleatly impressed by Jois’ numbers

Jois, the last import to come in, finished with a tournament-high 43 points and 10 rebounds.

It was the best scoring debut for an import since Terrafirma’s Jordan Williams poured in three more points in last year’s Governors’ Cup and Jois got the much-needed support from his local teammates during a decisive homestretch battle.

“I challenged Venky to give us the first win. We want to get this statement win because ang team namin maraming changes sa lineup,”said Tan, who used four of his five new players.

Arvin Tolentino contributed 16 points, Joshua Munzon added 11 points, and Paul Zamar chipped in 10 points for a winning start for the Batang Pier.

Jois spearheaded NorthPort’s comeback, erasing a 10-point deficit in the third quarter by consistently dominating inside.

The Batang Pier secured a five-point lead at 97-92 with 5:51 left courtesy of a remarkable three-pointer from rookie Fran Yu from well beyond the arc.

However, Terrafirma staged a comeback, seizing the lead at 98-97 with 4:25 remaining.

NorthPort was not to be denied, however.

The Batang Pier responded emphatically, scoring six consecutive points through layups by Jois and a dunk by Tolentino, securing a 103-98 advantage.

Despite free throws from Thomas de Thaey and Javi Gomez de Liano narrowing the lead to 103-101 with 51 seconds left, Jois extended NorthPort’s cushion to 104-101 with a successful split from the line.

In a crucial play, Dyip’s Juami Tiongson attempted a three-pointer, but Brent Paraiso’s outstretched arms forced a pass to an unsuspecting Holt, resulting in a turnover.

Tolentino’s free throws further extended the lead to 106-101.

While Holt made two free throws to reduce the deficit to three at 106-103 with 14 seconds remaining, Fran Yu’s split from the line and a subsequent steal from the inbound pass sealed the victory for NorthPort.

Tiongson finished with 21 points on 9-of-17 shooting, seven assists and four rebounds in 32 minutes of action for coach Johnedel Cardel.

Import De Thaey had 20 points and seven rebounds in 31 minutes of action while Javier Gomez De Liano added 17 points and four rebounds in a losing effort for Terrafirma.

The scores:

Northport (108) — Jois 43, Tolentino 16, Munzon 11, Zamar 10, Flores 9, Yu 5, Paraiso 5, Amores 3, Calma 2, Salado 2, Chan 2, Caperal 0.
TerraFirma (103) – Tiongson 21, De Thaey 20, De Liano 17, Camson 12, Holt 11, Carino 10, Alolino 6, Daquioqg 2, Go 2, Ramos 2, Olivario 0, Cahilig 0, Mina 0.
Quarterscores: 28-29, 51-53, 85-85, 108-103.