The Hotshots were on the driver’s seat from the get-go and never showed any letup en route to registering their first win in four outings.
Denzel Bowles posted 28 points and eight boards, while Allein Maliksi added 23 markers off the bench for Star, which snapped the Elite’s two-game winning streak as they dropped to an even 2-2 win-loss card.
“Everything was clicking today,” Hotshots coach Jason Webb said. “Local support and Denzel delivered.”
James Yap turned to his vintage self, sparking the blowout by scattering all but two of his 15 points in the first quarter in his first start this conference.
Maliksi and Bowles then took over as the former scored his entire output in the last three quarters, while the latter ended up finishing most of the Hotshots’ 30 assists.
Star, which enjoyed its biggest lead at 28 early in the fourth, shot 56 percent from the field to emerge victorious in an offensive battle that also saw the Elite shoot over 50 percent.
Blackwater import MJ Rhett, coming off a triple-double performance, registered a 30-20 this time with 30 points and 21 boards on top of six assists playing all 48 minutes, while Carlo Lasitmosa added 20 points, but was scoreless in the payoff period.
STAR flashed its old, dominant form, sending Blackwater crashing back to earth with a 122-103 decision on Wednesday to barge into the win column of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
The Hotshots were on the driver’s seat from the get-go and never showed any letup en route to registering their first win in four outings.
Denzel Bowles posted 28 points and eight boards, while Allein Maliksi added 23 markers off the bench for Star, which snapped the Elite’s two-game winning streak as they dropped to an even 2-2 win-loss card.
“Everything was clicking today,” Hotshots coach Jason Webb said. “Local support and Denzel delivered.”
James Yap turned to his vintage self, sparking the blowout by scattering all but two of his 15 points in the first quarter in his first start this conference.
Maliksi and Bowles then took over as the former scored his entire output in the last three quarters, while the latter ended up finishing most of the Hotshots’ 30 assists.
Star, which enjoyed its biggest lead at 28 early in the fourth, shot 56 percent from the field to emerge victorious in an offensive battle that also saw the Elite shoot over 50 percent.
Blackwater import MJ Rhett, coming off a triple-double performance, registered a 30-20 this time with 30 points and 21 boards on top of six assists playing all 48 minutes, while Carlo Lasitmosa added 20 points, but was scoreless in the payoff period.
The scores:
STAR 122 – Bowles 28, Maliksi 23, Yap 15, Barroca 10, Simon 10, Melton 8, Sangalang 8, Pascual 7, Pingris 7, Cruz 4, Torres 2
BLACKWATER 103 – Rhett 30, Lastimosa 20, Erram 13, Cervantes 11, Dela Cruz 9, Gamalinda 5, Reyes 5, Agovida 4, Cortez 4, Bulawan 2, Golla 0, Vosotros 0
Quarterscores: 28-22, 58-41, 92-75, 122-103