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Air21 forces San Miguel Beer to a do-or-die game with bell-to-bell win

With its back pushed against the wall, Air21 made sure it won’t commit a costly mistake that it made against favored San Miguel Beer the last time out.

Getting a big lift from their locals throughout, the seventh-seeded Express staved off elimination with a wire-to-wire 92-79 victory over the second-ranked Beermen Tuesday night in their PBA Commissioners Cup quarterfinals battle at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Proving they have learned their bitter lesson in their 85-93 setback last Wednesday when they blew an 18-point lead, the Express jumped the gun on the flat-footed Beermen, scoring the first six points while leading by as many as 17, then found a timely offensive weapon in forward Sean Anthony in the second half to complete the stunner.

The 6-foot-4 Anthony pumped in all but four of his team-high 25 markers in the pivotal half while fellow locals Asia Taulava, Eloy Poligrates and Joseph Yeo delivered ample goods to backstop the 18-point outing by import Wes Witherspoon.

San Miguel Beer import Kevin Jones sizzled with a game-high 34 points but could not get the usual numbers from relaibles June Mar Fajardo and Marcio Lassiter, who struggled with a combined seven-marker output in 12 attempts, no thanks to Air21’s sustained defensive pressure.

The winner-take-all match is on Friday, with the winner taking on either No.3 Rain or Shine or No.4 Meralco in a best-of-five semifinals.

Playing with a collective sense of urgency, the Express got off to s strong start behind Poligrates and continued to pour it on in the second canto where they enjoyed their biggest lead at 41-24.

San Miguel Beer, as expected, charged back and pulled within six twice, the last at 51-57 late in the third canto.

That proved to be the Beermen’s last hurrah though, as Anthony racked up 18 of the Express’ next 20 points, restoring their lead back to 16 with seven minutes left to play.

From there, the Beermen failed to help themselves as they were forced to trade baskets with the red-hot Express.
 
The Main Man: Sean Anthony certainly stood tallest among the Express as he exploded for 21 points in the second half while adding seven rebounds and two assists.
 
Honorable Mentions: Before Anthony’s decisive exploits, Eloy Poligrates, Asi Taulava and Joseph Yeo were taking turns in providing the support to import Wes Witherspoon.
 
Game Turning Point: After the Beermen threatened to within six late in the third, Sean Anthony took matters into his own hands as he delivered big buckets after another that enabled the Express to restore their lead back to 16, 77-61, going to the last seven minutes.
 
They Said It:
Air21 coach Franz Pumaren: “We were able to sustain our run. We had a terrible experience playing them the last time around. We didn’t run away from what we're supposed to do. We held down the number one scoring team. Sean Anthony was just phenomenal. Witherspoon made me look good. Playing the number two team is very tough. We just hope we'll continue what we're capable of doing. We stuck to the game plan and we held them on defense. We expect SMB to be prepared on Friday. This year is the anniversary of SMB when we won the grandslam. It's a weird feeling playing on the opposite end. It’s good enough for tonight. Tomorrow we'll be back. Our main intention is we'll get our points by holding them down.”
 
Air21 forward Sean Anthony: “I just try to step up and hit some shots.”
 
 The scores:

AIR21 92 - Anthony 25, Witherspoon 18, Taulava 17, Poligrates 11, Yeo 10, Ramos 5, Borboran 2, Villanueva 2, Cardona 2, Burtscher 0, Camson 0.

SAN MIGUEL BEER 79 - Jones 34, Lutz 11, Santos 10, Ross 9, Fajardo 5, Mercado 5, Maierhofer 2, Lassiter 2, Hubalde 1, Duncil 0, Tubid 0, Kramer 0.

Quarters: 29-20, 45-34, 63-54, 92-79.