Belo impresses with near double-double in PBA debut

Games Friday (Smart Araneta Coliseum)

4:15 p.m. – Mahindra vs GlobalPort

7 p.m. – Alaska vs NLEX

MANILA, Philippines – Mac Belo delivered a near double-double performance with 17 points and nine rebounds in his pro debut, and Blackwater made a winning start in a tourney for the first time, topping Phoenix Petroleum, 94-87, in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night.

Belo played steadily in 32:43 minutes of action, going 7-of-9 from the field and also making his presence felt on the defensive end to help the Elite beat the Fuel Masters also for the first time in the franchise’s young history.

TNT KaTropa, Rain or Shine and NLEX are the teams left that Blackwater hasn’t beaten since entering the league in 2014.

“It’s a new season for us and we have some new players, players that we really wanted in our lineup. We have new energy and new hope. But all excitement must be converted to W’s on actual games. And that’s where the hard work begins,” said Blackwater coach Leo Isaac.

Dylan Ababou, Ronjay Buenafe, James Forrester and Raphael Banal also had solid debuts as Blackwater players, helping the team past the Phoenix squad paced by guard Simon Enciso with a career-high 25 points on top of four rebounds, two steals and one assist.

Matthew Wright, Phoenix’s own Gilas recruit, missed their first game in the season as he was down due to a bum stomach.

Art dela Cruz and Denok Miranda were two other Blackwater players who put in double-digit outputs with 12 and 11 points, respectively, but Belo easily stood out with a game capped by three clutch baskets at endgame.                    

“You can see his potential. He’s full of potential but you have to guide him. He has his mistakes and there’s where the coach has to come in to help sharpen his tools,” Isaac said.

 “Same with our other new players. We have to help them learn basic basketball, not the fancy stuffs,” Isaac added.

The Elite stormed away early at 16-3 and held sway almost throughout behind a balanced offense with a respectable 50-percent clip.

Phoenix actually caught up with Blackwater early in the fourth before Miranda, Belo, Raymond Aguilar and John Pinto worked on a decisive run to get the Elite back in the lead and subsequently to the triumphant conference start.

With Blackwater ahead by just five entering the final minute, Belo grabbed a crucial offensive rebound leading to a basket that sealed the win.

The Elite pulled through though beaten on rebounding, 39-46, and despite making only nine of 19 free throws.

Starting the game with Buenafe, Pinto, Dela Cruz and Kyle Pascual, Belo knocked in his first two field goal attempts and a bonus charity in a steady start.

The former FEU star forward added six points in each of the last two quarters.