MICHAEL Qualls accepted the blame after NorthPort allowed Barangay Ginebra to tie the PBA Governors Cup semifinal series at 1-1 after a 133-88 blowout win in Game Two on Monday night.
Qualls was held to just 20 points on an atrocious 8-of-26 clip, a far cry from the 38-point explosion he had in a 124-90 win by the Batang Pier in Game One, where he already had 27 in the first half alone.
“The team depends on me to score. I have to score the ball to put us into a better situation. And then everybody else will follow suit,” said Qualls. “I have to play with more energy. I just got to be a leader.”
Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone said it was no secret the team focused on putting the cuffs on the explosive NorthPort import.
“Their import never got really untracked the whole game,” stressed Cone. “He was such a load for us in Game One. But we had all the answers today, it seemed.”
Unlike in the opener, Qualls only had three points by halftime of Game 2 behind a 1-of-10 shooting from the floor and the Batang Pier trailing 44-62.
He did get his rhythm by the third quarter, pouring in 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field.
“I started out slow,” he said. “I just got to be better with the team, better for the team. We’ll just take it home and get ready for the next one."
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
