EASTERN made a great first impression in its campaign as a guest team in the PBA 49th Season Commissioner’s Cup, defeating Phoenix, 102-87, on Wednesday night at the Philsports Arena.
The Hong Kong-based team leaned on players who had extensive experience playing in the PBA, led by their import Cameron Clark and Hayden Blankley, in walloping an overmatched Fuelmasters side.
Kobey Lam, who along with Blankley played for the Bay Area Dragons in the 2022-23 season, also nailed shots in a critical fourth-quarter run, allowing Hong Kong Eastern to keep its sizeable lead.
Clark, a former import of NLEX and San Miguel, had 25 points, 11 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks for Eastern, while Blakely had 18 points, eight rebounds, and five assists in the same building where he scored 47 points against Rain or Shine in the Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals.
Glen Yang, another ex-Bay Area Dragon, delivered 13 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and two steals for Eastern.
“The biggest concern is we didn’t play enough games together. In some moments, we missed our timing and we missed some situations on defense. But I want to congratulate my players. They were above my expectations,” said Eastern coach Mensur Bajramovic.
A 28-20 third quarter enabled Eastern to grab a 77-65 lead. Lam had seven points in the fourth quarter, all of which during a 9-1 run that got Eastern its biggest gap at 93-72.
Donovan Smith had 33 points and 11 rebounds for the Fuelmasters, while Jason Perkins added 22 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
The scores:
Eastern 102 – Clark 25, Blankley 18, Yang 13, Cheung 11, Cao 8, Lam 8, Xu 8, Guinchard 5, Chan 3, Leung 3, Pok 0, Sulaiman 0.
Phoenix 87 – Smith 33, Perkins 22, Rivero 10, Alejandro 8, Tuffin 4, Garcia 3, Tio 2, Manganti 2, Ballungay 2, Jazul 1, Ular 0, Camacho 0, Daves 0, Muyang 0, Verano 0.
Quarters: 23-14; 49-45; 77-65; 102-87.
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