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San Mig extends Ginebra's woes; Barako, RoS win

Things have started to flow smoothly for San Mig Coffee. Meanwhile, alarming woes continue to pile up for Barangay Ginebra.

Quickly asserting its dominance defensively, San Mig Coffee turned what was expected to be a fierce ‘Manila Clasico’ into a virtual romp with a methodical 78-68 victory over struggling Barangay Ginebra Sunday night to gain a share of second spot in the PBA Philippine Cup at the packed Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Fil-Am forward Joe DeVance clustered 10 of his game-high 18 points in the second canto while three other teammates scattered at least 11 markers as the Mixers practically made life miserable for the Gin Kings behind a suffocating defensive stance.

The convincing win, its third straight and witnessed by 19,718 paying fans who trooped to the Big Dome for the rare triple-header, enabled San Mig Coffee to forge a three-team logjam at second spots with identical 5-2 records alongside Rain or Shine and Alaska while keeping hot on the heels of defending champion Talk ‘N Text (6-1).

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Former two-time MVP James Yap chipped in 14 while PJ Simon and Marc Pingris combined for 24 markers but it was the team’s collective effort on the defensive end that clearly spelled the difference, notably in the first 36 minutes.

“We played a great defensive game tonight,” stated San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone. “I’ve been there and done that when layups don’t fall. But we didn’t play great defense and got a little sloppy in the fourth.”

“That’s what we’re trying to do–win games with offense and talent–but tonight we came out and tried to win it on defense,” he added.

Reigning league MVP Mark Caguioa scattered 16 points while ace playmaker LA Tenorio added 12 but those proved way short to help the Gin Kings avert a stunning five-game skid, sending them further down the 10-team field with a 2-5 card in a tie with the Air21 Express.

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Making matters worse for Barangay Ginebra was the abrupt absence of wingman Dylan Ababou, who twisted his right knee in the early goings. According to reliable reports, Ababou could have incurred an ACL injury, which may force him to be sidelined for at least six months.

Showcasing its dreaded defensive tenacity, the Mixers quickly set the tone, limiting the Gin Kings to just eight markers in the opening period while scoring 15 in the other end.

With DeVance joining the offensive fray, San Mig Coffee dropped a 26-point explosion in the second canto for a 41-29 cushion at the break.

Despite failing to make a field goal with more than six minutes into the third, the Mixers kept the Gin Kings at bay by making their free throws, taking a 49-37 lead off Yap’s two made charities.

While forcing the Gin Kings out of their comfort zones, the Mixers dropped a telling 20-8 onslaught, padding their lead to 67-45–capped by Rafi Reavis’ two canned free throws–with 9:25 remaining.

 Ginebra tried hard to get its game going but San Mig Coffee managed to make timely baskets from then on.

“I’m happy we got the win. It’s a big game and (infront of) a big crowd,” stated the grinning DeVance, who also had five rebounds before celebrating by dancing the hit song “Gangnam Style” during the post-game interview.

Earlier, Rain or Shine gave Meralco a dose of its own medicine, cruising to a lopsided 106-81 win.

Defensive specialist Jireh Ibanes delivered 23 points while Beau Belga added 16 markers and Ryan Arana had 15 for the Elasto Painters, who hardly felt the mere seven-point output of ace forward Jeff Chan.

“Meralco is one of the hottest teams in the league right now so I’m really surprised that we beat them in the manner that we beat them today,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao, whose charges held the Bolts to just 36.4 percent (32-of-88) shooting from the field.

"I was looking forward to a tight endgame struggle tonight. But I think early on, we were able to run our breaks then cause some turnovers, and we broke away from Meralco from that point on,” he added.

Mac Cardona clustered 20 points for the Bolts, who only got nine hard-earned markers from chief playmaker Sol Mercado and, in the process, dropped to 4-3.

In the first game, Ronald Tubid redeemed himself from an early blunder by sinking the decisive basket to help Barako Bull eke out a nervy 95-94 win over stubborn GlobalPort.

Tubid, who finished with 19 points, got the timely feed from Sean Anthony after a mad loose ball scramble and coolly made the point-blank range with 18 seconds left before the Energy Cola preserved the win–their fifth in eight outings–with another key defensive stop.

The Batang Pier had a chance to steal the game, but Willie Miller was covered well by the Energy Cola and Josh Vanlandingham bungled his last-gasp attempt.

The stinging loss–its seventh overall in eight battles–extended the GlobalPort’s bleeding to four games while spoiling the surprising 20-point brilliance by Mark Yee, who also figured in a heated exchange with Barako forward Enrico Villanueva.
 
 
The scores:
 
First Game
 
Barako Bull 95 – Tubid 19, Villanueva 18, Pennisi 13, Najorda 11, Anthony 9, Urbiztondo  9, Yap 9, Kramer 4, Alvarez 3, Ballesteros 0.

GlobalPort 94 – Yee 20, Miller 17, Manuel 12, Deutchman 11, Lingganay 10, Vanlandingham 7, Vergara 7, Al-Hussaini 5, Antonio 3, Adducul 2, Mandani 0, Guevarra 0.
Quarterscores: 22-18, 49-48, 77-74, 95-94

Second Game
 
Rain or Shine 106 – Ibanes 23, Belga 16, Arana 15, Quinahan 10, Tang 9, Cruz 8, Chan 7, Rodriguez 7, Norwood 6, Matias 5, Uyloan 0, Jaime 0.

Meralco 81 – Cardona 20, Salvacion 14, Buenafe 11, Hodge 9, Mercado 9, Hugnatan 6, Bulawan 5, Borboran 4, Reyes 3, Belencion 0, Ross 0, Sharma 0, Artadi 0.
Quarterscores: 25-19, 41-28, 80-53, 106-81
 
Third Game
 
SanMig Coffee 78 – Devance 18, Yap 14, Simon 13, Pingris 11, De Ocampo 7, Barroca 6, Reavis 4, Villanueva 3, Intal 2, Gonzales 0.

Brgy. Ginebra 68 – Caguioa 16, Tenorio 12, Ellis 11, Jensen 8, Mamaril 7, Maierhofer 6, Cortez 6, Ababou 2, Espiritu 0, Wilson 0, Hatfield 0.
Quarterscores: 15-8, 41-29, 61-45, 78-68