PINT-sized guard Eman Monfort and import Michael Singletary came through with clutch baskets down the stretch to lead Barako Bull to a 103-94 victory over Air21 in the PBA Governors Cup on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Energy Cola’s second win in three starts vaulted them to a share of first pace with idle Rain or Shine and Petron Blaze - an unfamiliar place for a team that has languished at the bottom for so long.
Monfort reprised his hero role from the team's last win against Meralco when he nailed a three-pointer to give Barako Bull a 99-93 cushion heading into the final two minutes of the match.
Moments later, Singletary buried a tough off-balance jumper that virtually sealed the outcome.
The 5-foot-6 Monfort, a former Ateneo guard, earned Best Player of the Game honors in Barako Bull’s 90-89 win over Meralco last week behind his 22 points and seven rebounds.
Against the Express, who managed to narrow the 22-point gap to just 93-96, Monfort tallied 12 points, spiked by three triples, on top of six assists in 32 minutes of play.
“It’s a big win. That’s the second straight win for us. We really played good basketball in the first half, but I said at the locker room, the game is not over because Air21 is a very dangerous team,” said Barako Bull team consultant Rajko Toroman.
Singletary led the Energy Cola with 41 points and 12 rebounds, outdueling Air21's Zach Graham who had 34 and 10 boards.
The Express dropped to 1-2.
The scores:
Barako 103 - Singletary 41, Buenafe 18, Seigle 18, Monfort 12, Cruz 8, Intal 4, Jensen 2, Marcelo 0, Bulawan 0, Weinstein 0, Macapagal 0, Pennisi 0, Pena 0.
Air 21 94 - Graham 34, Canaleta 12, Sharma 12, Cortez 10, Isip 9, Custodio 6, Menor 5, Manuel 4, Omolon 2, Sena 0, Ritualo 0, Arboleda 0.
Quarterscores: 29-23; 65-47; 83-71; 103-94.
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