Moni Plus Tamaraws clinched a 78-75 win over Superior Coffee Saints in the opening games of game 3, round 3, of the PNG Men’s Basketball League (PMBL) yesterday.
Tamaraws took a flying lead in the first half of the match at the Taurama Aquatic Centre in Port Moresby. Saints were trailing by 16 points, trying to catch up.
In the third quarter of the game, Saints regrouped and returned with quick breaks and layups to minimise the lead to 57-68 in the third quarter.
In the 4th quarter, Saints outplayed Tamaraws, running them into panic mode with the points, slowly closing the gap to 68-73.
With only 2 minutes on the board, Tamaraws caused more fouls, allowing Saints to narrow the margin to a 2-point basket.
Seconds were counting down as the buzzer sounded for a quick time-out. Tamaraws regrouped to play up court but Saints proved more aggressive as they hassled their players, causing an open foul with only 7 seconds on the clock.
Tamaraws scored from the foul, extending the lead to 78-75 before the buzzer sounded at full-time.
It was a tough opening match with Saints giving the second-placed Tamaraws a hard battle.
