KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – The Philippine Patriots went to imports Jason Dixon and Brandon Powell in the final period to hack out a thrilling 73-63 come-from-behind win over the Kuala Lumpur Dragons in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) Sunday at the MABA Stadium here.
Combining quickness, creativity and a little of guile, the 6-foot-10 Dixon came through with a double-double performance of 17 points and 16 rebounds as the Patriots surged to their third straight win and fourth overall in five starts in the home-and-away tournament.
It was the finest showing so far for the former PBA import, who vowed to help the Philippine Patriots win this inaugural 6-nation tournament.
Powell, the 6-foot-5 guard who is known for his rugged defense, also had 17 points, including two triples that helped the Patriots outscore the Dragons, 25-9, in the deciding fourth period.
With the win, the Patriots, co-owned by Harbour Centre CEO Mikee Romero and businessman Tonyboy Cojuangco, cemented their hold of second place behind the Singapore Slingers (5-1).
“It was a scary win, good thing we recovered our bearing in the fourth period,” said RP Patriots coach Louie Alas. “This is a wake-up call for the players. They can’t take anyone in the tournament lightly.”
The luster of their massive 70-53 win over the erstwhile unbeaten the Singapore Slingers last week appeared to have disappeared in the third frame where they fell into poor shot selection and turned the ball one after another that saw the Dragons taking a 54-48 lead.
It was at this juncture that Alas used the team’s vaunted full court pressure with Dixon manning the shaded lane as if he was guarding a bulk of gold bullions.
The defensive strategy worked wonders for the Patriots as they scored in bunches behind their brilliant transition plays. But the most telling was that they held the Dragons scoreless with 2:33 left in the game.
“Our hustle and depth spelled the difference,” added Alas, who sorely missed the services of bruiser Jerwin Gaco (due to flu).
Ateneo star Nonoy Baclao and Warren Ybanez each had eight points and combined for 9 rebounds while Froilan Baguion had seven points despite nursing a knee injury.
The Dragons, who trailed 31-34 at halftime, took a series of eight-point leads in the third – thanks to their three Filipino cagers Rudy Lingganay (10 points), Roel Hugnatan (10), Fhadzmir Bandaying (6) and import Chris Kuete (13).
The Dragons, however, failed to protect that lead as the Patriots put up a great defensive stand to silence the huge home crowd. (Rey Lachica)
The scores:
RP PATRIOTS 73 – Powell 17, Dixon 17, Ybanez 8, Baclao 8, Baguion 7, Espiritu 6, Acuna 5, Wainwright 3, Daa 2, Sta. Maria 0, Mirza 0
KL DRAGONS 63 – Kuete 13, Lingganay 10, Hugnatan 10, Loh 9, Batumalai 9, Bandaying 6, Wee 3, Chee 2, Koh 1, Ho 0, Chai 0, Brown 0
Quarters: 19-13, 34-31, 48-54, 73-63.
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