King, Chua, Ayonayon star as Blackwater pulls away late vs. Terrafirma to stay alive

George King, Justin Chua, and Mike Ayonayon all linked up to power Blackwater to a 96-86 win over luckless Terrafirma in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup on Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. 

The troika came alive in their second half surge as the Bossing kept their playoffs alive, improving to a 2-7 win-loss card while the also-ran Dyip fell to 0-10. 

"We feel like there has to be focus and we always talked about our defense because that in itself will generate our offense and get us into what we want to do," Blackwater head coach Jeff Cariaso said. 

"The only thing I told them was if they get stops, they'll get opportunities to attack and that was what happened."

Blackwater, which was eager to bounce back after a blowout 63-86 loss to Barangay Ginebra last Sunday, turned things around late in the third period with Richard Escoto and King unleashing a 7-0 run to close out the frame holding a 71-67 lead. 

Before that, the Bossing trailed by as much as 10 after Terrafirma had a 21-11 start in the first quarter. 

Chua then scored four straight points to send Blackwater to an 82-70 cushion before Terrafirma gained some measure of momentum, unloading six consecutive points courtesy of a Kevin Ferrer three-point play and a Stanley Pringle triple, 79-84.

Pringle knocked down another three-pointer followed by a Brandon Walton-Edwards split as Terrafirma made it an 83-89 affair in the final 2:58. 

But Ayonayon made sure the win's in the bag for Blackwater, burying a massive triple of his own and followed it up with a layup and a pair of charities for a comfortable 96-83 advantage. 

King posted a huge double-double of 26 points and 12 rebounds alongside three assists and three steals while Chua also registered a double-double effort off the bench, finishing with 17 markers and 12 boards. 

Ayonayon tallied 15 points, two rebounds, and three assists as Jaydee Tungcab chipped in 11 markers. 

Scores:

Blackwater 96 – King 26, Chua 17, Ayonayon 15, Tungcab 11, David 8, Suerte 7, Escoto 4, Casio 2, Ponferrada 2, Jopia 2, Montalbo 2, Guinto 0.

Terrafirma 86 – Edwards 29, Sangalang 17, Paraiso 12, Pringle 9, Nonoy 9, Ferrer 7, Carino 2, Romeo 1, Hernandez 0, Manuel 0, Ramos 0, Catapusan 0.

Quarters: 34-30, 45-49, 71-67, 96-86.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News