BY JONAS TERRADO
NORTHPORT pushed top seed NLEX to a rubber match for a semifinals berth after rolling to a 115-90 victory in a tense quarterfinal affair in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Import Michael Qualls had 39 points, 16 rebounds, five assists and two blocks as the Batang Pier continued their mastery of the Road Warriors to force a knockout game set Wednesday.
The winner earns a spot in the best-of-five semis against Barangay Ginebra, which ended the Grand Slam dreams of San Miguel Beer with a 100-97 win last Sunday.
Qualls later got into a heated exchange with NLEX’s Poy Erram and Paul Varilla, who were tossed with Flagrant Foul 2 infractions, with 4:54 left in the fourth and NorthPort already had the game in the bag, 100-81.
The Batang Pier reinforcement appeared to have been kicked by Varilla after drawing a foul during a drive to the basket. Erram then joined the fray by landing a flying elbow at the back of Qualls, prompting cooler heads to intervene.
It would interesting if Erram and Varilla will be handed suspensions for the decisive match, though the league usually hands out fines during the playoffs.
A Flagrant Foul 2 merits a P20,000 fine.
Christian Standhardinger added 24 points and 13 rebounds while Sean Anthony tallied 12 points.
JR Quinahan scored 20 points for NLEX, which will try to avoid becoming the latest No. 1 seed to be axed by a No. 8 team in the quarters.
It was the Road Warriors’ fourth straight loss, including the last three of the eliminations, a skid that began when they fell 102-94 to the Batang Pier last Nov. 13.
The scores:
NORTHPORT 115 — Qualls 39, Standhardinger 24, Anthony 12, Ferrer 9, King 8, Escoto 5, Taha 5, Elorde 5, Lanete 3, Cruz 3, Mercado 2.
NLEX 90 — Quinahan 20, Ravena 16, Harris 12, Cruz 11, Erram 6, Soyud 6, Alas 5, Paniamogan 4, Varilla 3, Galanza 3, Ighalo 2, Miranda 2, Fonacier 0.
Quarters: 34-24; 61-40; 83-64; 115-90.
