THE imports took over as Chris McLaughlin and Deon Thompson played hard enough to lead their respective teams to victory in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

McLaughlin posted 32 points and 23 rebounds in his debut as Hong Kong Eastern outplayed Blackwater, 84-75, for its fourth win in five matches.

The 6-foot-10 McLaughlin, who averaged 22 markers and 13 boards in Eastern’s two assignments in the East Asia Super League (EASL), proved unstoppable inside the paint to lead the club from Hong Kong to a huge 58-22 advantage in the low-scoring contest.

Thompson was just as effective for Rain or Shine despite limited action due to foul troubles.

Thompson finished with 18 points in 31 minutes for the Elasto Painters, who unleashed a telling 18-6 start in the fourth period to take control, 88-78, enroute to their second win in three matches.

With Thompson in foul trouble, local standouts Adrian Nocum, Felix Lemetti, Caelan Tiongson and Jhonard Clarito took over in a brilliant fourth-quarter performance.

Nocum finished with 15 points, followed by Tiongson with 14, Lemetti and Datu with 12 points apiece and Clarito with 10.

PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo led all scorers with 20 points, while import Quincy Miller submitted 12 point and 10 rebounds in what could well be his last game in the tournament.

San Miguel has flown in Torren Jones for the mid-season conference and to serve as Miller’s partner in the EASL.

San Miguel, on the other hand, dropped to 1-2.

Meanwhile, action resumes with NorthPort Batang Pier seeking their fifth straight win when they take on converge FiberX at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Already boasting of a franchise-best 4-0 start,the Bonnie Tan-mentored Batang Pier can extend their perfect record in the 5 p.m. encounter.

Converge, however, is expected to get a big boost with the expected debut of MPBL MVP Justine Baltazar of the Pampanga Dragons.

Baltazar, the No. 1 pick overall in last July’s Rookie Draft, are fresh from a successful stint with the Pampanga Giant Lanterns in the MPBL.

The scores:

First game

Eastern (84) – McLaughlin 32, Yang 14, Lam 10, Guinchard 8, Xu 7, Cheung 5, Cao 4, Blankley 2, Pok 2, Chan 0, Zhu 0.
Blackwater (75) – King 41, Barefield 9, Suerte 9, Chua 4, Kwekuteye 4, David 4, Ilagan 3, Ponferrada 1, Casio 0, Hill 0, Guinto 0, Escoto 0.
Quarterscores: 23-21, 39-49, 66-58, 84-75.

Second game

Rain or Shine (107) – Thompson 18, Nocum 15, Tiongson 14, Datu 12, Lemetti 12, Clarito 10, Santillan 9, Caracut 8, Asistio 4, Norwood 3, Ildefonso 2, Belga 0, Demusis 0.
San Miguel (93) – Fajardo 20, Tiongson 16, Miller 12, Tautuaa 10, Perez 9, Trollano 7, Cruz 7, Teng 5, Lassiter 3, Ross 3, Cahilig 1.
Quarterscores: 19-25, 47-42, 70-72, 107-93.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Robert Andaya