Despite the delays brought by a fire-related incident, Jordan Williams maintained his sizzling form, erupting for 57 points to power Terrafirma to a 119-106 victory over Blackwater in the Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The game was put to a halt for several minutes in the first half after league officials were alarmed by the fire at nearby Araneta bus terminal.
But it hardly mattered as the Dyip were all business with their import — Williams — leading the way.
As high-scoring imports becoming a trend with reinforcements who competed last Wednesday all scoring above 43 points, it was Williams who was able to hold his own and proved that he deserves to keep his spot.
Against the Bossing, Williams knocked down 57 points, including five three-pointers on a sizzling 13-of-20 shooting from the two-point area and 11 rebounds in more than 41 minutes of action to lead the Dyip to their second victory in four matches.
“It’s just basically the confidence of my teammates and my coach,” Williams said.
“They trust me to be the leader out there, to take over in winning time, and to finish the game. So shout out to my teammates for believing in me.”
Terrafirma coach Johnedel Cardel said Williams was simply in a zone.
“He never missed,” he said, referring to his hot-shooting import.
“I told the team that if we don’t play as a team, we will never win. We only had two assists in the first half.”
Blackwater, for its part, absorbed its fourth loss in five games and not even a high-profile reinforcement in Troy Williams can bail it out of trouble.
The other Williams, who came in as a replacement for Shawn Glover, showed a lot of promise as he delivered 55 points, 14 rebounds and five assists.
He, however, couldn’t get the job done down the stretch, sending the Bossing to yet another heartbreaking loss.
Backing up Williams was Juami Tiongson, who finished with 27 points, seven rebounds and five assists against a Blackwater team that relegated him to the PBA D-League when he was playing with the franchise a few years ago.
The Scores:
TERRAFIRMA (119) — J. Williams 57, Tiongson 27, Camson 17, Gomez de Liano 5, Cabagnot 5, Cahilig 3, Daquioag 2, Calvo 2, Gabayni 1, Alolino 0, Ramos 0.
BLACKWATER (106) — T. Williams 55, Casio 14, Ilagan 11, Ular 10, Banal 5, Torralba 5, Rosario 2, Sena 2, Hill 2, McCarthy 0, Amer 0, DiGregorio 0, Taha 0.
QUARTERS: 30-14, 53-46, 80-72, 119-106.
