PBA Scores, News and Updates

[Zurca]

GlobalPort posts franchise-best third win in row with rout of woeful Alaska Aces

GLOBALPORT continued to make giant strides in its second season after knocking down Alaska, 94-84, for its third straight win in the PLDT myDSL-PBA Philippine Cup on Friday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Solomon Mercado was again on the attack mode, finishing with 26 points, five rebounds, and four assists, while making 10-of-13 foul shots in another strong all-around game.

More significantly, Mercado drew the much-needed support from the team’s rookie backcourt of Terrence Romeo and RR Garcia, who chipped in 21 and 13 points, respectively.

“Sol has been the leader of this team. Obviously, he was just trying to feel his way through with the team during the first few games,” said Globalport winning coach Ritchie Ticzon, whose team’s fourth win in seven starts matches the four-win total the franchise had during last season’s Governors Cup when the Batang Pier made the playoffs for the first time ever.

The team's third straight win was also the longest in franchise history.

Ticzon pointed out defense has been clicking of late for the team, which is also one of the major reasons why the Batang Pier are making heads turn halfway through the tournament.

“We were able to play good defense and basically, in the first half, we were able to contain all their (Aces) runs in the second half,” he said.

“The players responded very well by playing good defense, while it’s also good that RR hit three-pointers late in the game.”

The Batang Pier enjoyed a huge 23-7 advantage on turnover points as their defense made life miserable for the struggling Aces.

JV Casio led the Aces with a career-high 28 points, but failed to get the usual scoring support from veterans Cyrus Baguio, Sonny Thoss and Gabby Espinas.

The 6’7” Thoss managed to score 13 points, but was a non-factor during the second half. RJ Jazul added 10 points, while Baguio only had eight on three-of-10 shooting from the field.

The struggling Aces, who also played without injured Calvin Abueva, fell to 2-5 with the loss.

The scores:
 
GLOBALPORT 94 - Mercado 26, Romeo 21, Washington 13, Garcia 13, Yee 10, Chua 3, Hayes 3, Lingganay 2, Nabong 2, Menk 1, Salva 0, Salvador 0.
 
ALASKA 84 - Casio 28, Thoss 13, Jazul 10, Espinas 9, Baguio 8, Ramos 7, Exciminiano 6, Buenafe 3, Belasco 0, Dela Cruz 0, Hontiveros 0, Eman 0.
 
Quarters: 27-20, 55-35, 77-58, 94-84

From SPIN.ph

[Zurca]

Ginebra survives Barako's torrid outside shooting in thrilling win

BARANGAY Ginebra’s size proved too much for Barako Bull in the end as the Kings turned back the Energy’s gutsy stand behind a  thrilling 85-79 win to maintain hold of second spot in the PLDT myDSL-PBA Philippine Cup Friday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Energy managed to trim down an imposing 14-point second half deficit to just 72-73 behind the outside snippings of Mick Pennisi, Ronjay Buenafe, and Keith Jensen midway in the final period.

But coming off a timeout, the Kings drew big plays from former Barako Bull guard Eman Monfort, who scored on a three-point shot that touched off a 10-2 blitz and gave Ginebra the breathing room it needed.

Willie Miller and rookie Carlo Lastimosa scored five straight points during the dying seconds, but time just wasn’t on Barako Bull’s side as Ginebra chalked up its fifth win in six starts.

“Nanalo kami dahil we were able to control the tempo of the game and we won the boards,” noted Ginebra coach Ato Agustin after the game.

Agustin said the Kings appeared to have been rattled off when the Energy switched to zone defense during the early goings of the final period.

Then again, Ginebra’s “Twin Towers” of Japeth Aguilar and Greg Slaughter began asserting themselves inside.

The 6-foot-11 Slaughter finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds, eight on the offensive glass, giving Ginebra a 54-43 edge in rebounds.

The Kings didn’t shoot well in the game, but they were able to cover their shooting woes with defense as they enjoyed a 13-5 edge on turnover points.

Aguilar led the Kings with 16 points,  five rebounds, and three shot blocks, while Mac Baracael added 15, spiked by three three-pointers.

Ginebra superstar Mark Caguioa went scoreless in eight minutes of play due to flu, though his backcourt mate LA Tenorio, who was confined in the hospital early this week, banged in 10 points, six rebounds, and nine assists on the day his wife gave birth to a baby boy.

The Energy dropped their fourth straight game after opening the season with back-to-back wins.

The scores

Ginebra (85) -- Aguilar 16, Slaughter 15, Baracael 15, Tenorio 10, Ellis 8, Reyes 7, Monfort 7, Helterbrand 5, Urbiztondo 2, Ababou 0, Mamaril 0, Caguioa 0.

Barako Bull (79) -- Miller 14, Pennisi 14, Isip 13, Jensen 8, Labagala 8, Lastimosa 6, Buenafe 5, Intal 5, Wilson 4, Pena 2, Maierhofer 0, Fortuna 0.

Quarterscores: 19-19; 41-32; 66-55; 85-79.

From SPIN.ph

[kingjames24szupladoh]

wala pal ang games for tomorrow
ngayon lang ata nangyaring walang games pag Sunday
Walang Venue
Bakit di magawan ng paraan

[Zurca]

Petron remains perfect by holding off Meralco in road game in Dipolog City

PETRON Blaze stepped on the gas in the second half behind the timely baskets of Arwind Santos, Marcio Lassiter and big man June Mar Fajardo to beat fighting Meralco side, 77-73, and remain perfect in the PLDT myDSL-PBA Philippine Cup on Saturday.

Alex Cabagnot banged in 17 points while Marcio Lassiter added 16 and Arwind Santos 14 in a road game at the Dipolog Sports Complex in Dipolog City that saw the Boosters make the decisive move without star big man June Mar Fajardo on the floor.

With Petron stymied by a zone defense in the first half, coach Gee Abanilla took the gamble of taking out Fajardo and turning to a three-guard roster of Cabagnot, Lassiter, and Chris Ross to go with Santos and agile big man Doug Kramer.

The gambit worked in the second half as the Boosters pulled away from a tight 48-50 to open a 73-57 bubble.

Meralco fought back valiantly behind the heads-up plays of John Wilson and hobbled forward Reynel Hugnatan but ran out of time, allowing the Boosters to escape with their seventh straight win this season.

The 6-10 Fajardo wasn’t able to do much damage inside offensively, finishing with a quiet 12 points. But he remained menacing on defense after finishing with 19 rebounds and three blocks to earn the Best Player of the Game honors.

Meralco, which is coming off an emotional 72-64 come-from-behind win against San Mig Super Coffee last Wednesday, dropped to 3-4.

Wilson and Gary David led the Bolts with 16 points apiece while Hugnatan and Rabeh Al-Hussaini each scored 13 markers.

The scores:

Petron 77 - Cabagnot 17, Lassiter 16, Santos 14, Fajardo 12, Kramer 7, Ross 6, Lanete 3, Lutz 2
 
Meralco 73 - Wilson 16, David 16, Hugnatan 13, Al-Hussaini 13, Dillinger 8 , Cortez 3, Caram 2, Sena 2, Allado 0, Timberlake 0, Guevarra 0, Salvacion 0

From SPIN.ph

[Zurca]

Sigh of relief for Black as Talk 'N Text averts collapse against Rain or Shine

THREE-time champion Talk ‘N Text survived a searing Rain or Shine rally in the final period to carve out a 90-87 victory to vault into solo third spot in the PLDT myDSL-PBA Philippine Cup on Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Ranidel de Ocampo nailed two crucial jumpers and a free throw, while Kelly Williams pulled off a crucial steal off Jeff Chan in the dying seconds to preserve the Texters’ fourth win in six starts in a game that saw them squander a 21-point first half lead.

“It’s a huge win for us mainly because Rain or Shine is a very good team,” said Talk ‘N Text coach Norman Black after the game.

Black said the nine-day respite since the team’s 91-95 loss to Barangay Ginebra gave them enough time to make the necessary adjustments against the rugged E-Painters, who turned to Gabe Norwood when it climbed out of a huge first-half hole.

“We knew it’s gonna be difficult to get by them.  But hopefully, we can build on this since we’re coming off a tough loss to Ginebra, and same time, we had nine days to think about it,” he added.

Gabe Norwood spearheaded Rain or Shine's furious fourth-quarter fightback, scoring 10 points in a critical 15-3 exchange to grab the lead, 83-82 with 3:25 left to play.

But the Texters showed composure from there, with de Ocampo hitting two cold-blooded jump shots, which proved to be the knockout punches against the E-Painters.

The E-Painters fell into a tie for fourth with the GlobalPort Batang Pier on 4-3 (win-loss) records following their second straight loss.

Undersized forward Harvey Carey finished the game with 15 boards, nine on the offensive end, while Danny Seigle and Kelly Williams combined for 17 rebounds for the Texters, who outrebounded the shorter E-Painters, 64-47.

De Ocampo finished the game with 20 points, six boards and three steals, while Jason Castro had a quiet 12 points on 3-of-12 shooting from the field.

Jervy Cruz led Rain or Shine with 14 points, while Norwood added 13.

The scores:

Talk N' Text 90 - DeOcampo 20, Castro 12, Anthony 10, Seigle 9, Williams 9, Fonacier 8, Carey 8, Alapag 7, Reyes 3, Celiz 2, Poligrates 2, Baclao 0.

Rain or Shine 87 - Cruz 14, Norwood 13, Chan 12, Lee 12, Belga 9, Arana 7, Nuyles 5, Quinahan 4, Tang 4, Rodriguez 4, Almazan 2, Tiu 1, Teng 0, Ibanes 0.

Quarterscores: 26-18, 49-35, 72-66, 90-87

From SPIN.ph

[Zurca]

Pingris' fourth-quarter heroics help San Mig survive Intal-led Barako Bull stand

SAN Mig Super Coffee overcame JC Intal’s endgame three-point shooting spree to turn back hard-luck Barako Bull, 90-88, and snap a two-game losing streak in the PLDT myDSL-PBA Philippine Cup on Tuesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Marc Pingris and James Yap each scored 16 points for the Mixers, who overhauled an eight-point Barako Bull lead in the final quarter but found themselves under siege when Intal dropped back-to-back threes to cut the gap to a point, 88-89, with four seconds to go.

Only after PJ Simon hit a free throw and Ronjay Buenafe missed the desperation three-point attempt did San Mig coach Tim Cone finally breathe easy as the Mixers tied Barako Bull at 2-5 (win-loss).

“The way our conference is going, it’s basically like, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,' said a relieved Cone. "And as long as our chemistry doesn’t die, doesn’t kill our chemistry or kill our desire to win, that’s just gonna make us strong in the end.”

The Mixers, who shot just 38.7 percent from the field in the game, rode on the shoulders of Pingris who scored 13 points in the fourth quarter alone. He added 11 rebounds and two assists in a 38-minute effort.

Yap came up one rebound short of a double-double after finishing the game with 16 points and nine bards, while rookie forward Ian Sangalang chipped in 15 and seven rebounds for San Mig.

Barako Bull, which dropped its fifth straight game after a 2-0 start to the season, drew a personal conference-high 21 points from Intal, while Dennis Miranda came back from injury to score 14.

The scores:

SAN MIG 90 - Pingris 16, Yap 16, Sangalang 15, Barroca 13, Simon 13, Devance 9, De Ocampo 3, Reavis 3, Cawaling 2, Mallari 0.

BARAKO 88 -Intal 21, Miranda 14, Buenafe 12, Isip 10, Maierhofer 7, Miller 6, Pennisi 6, Jensen 4, Wilson 4, Lastimosa 2, Labagala 2, Marcelo 0.

Quarterscores: 24-19, 43-41, 58-66, 90-88

From SPIN.ph

[dennis magtulis]

nanalo din sa wakas

[Zurca]

'Twin Towers' Aguilar and Slaughter dominate Taulava as Ginebra rips Air21

AFTER his first look at Ginebra's Twin Towers, Asi Taulava may be suddenly feeling all his 40 years.

Japeth Aguilar and rookie Greg Slaughter utterly dominated the veteran Taulava on Wednesday night, leading Barangay Ginebra to a 78-69 victory over the Air21 Express in a game that looked more like a changing of the guards among the league's premier big men.

Aguilar was a sight to behold on the floor, falling just two blocks short of a triple double with his stats line of 22 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocks. He also supplied the highlight of the night - a high-flying follow-up dunk in the fourth quarter where his head nearly hit the rim.

Slaughter, on the other hand, had 19 points and 10 rebounds as Ginebra posted its sixth win in seven games and once again validated its stature as a heavy favorite for the championship in the season-opening PBA Philippine Cup.

“Alam niyo naman, galing Ginebra ang papa ko. Gusto ko ring makuha yung never-say-die attitude niya,” Aguilar said after the game, as he paid tribute to his father Peter, who played for the league’s most popular team during the 1980s.

The 6-9 Taulava had a quiet eight points and 13 boards and had his only offensive thrust in the fourth quarter - a drive to the basket - emphatically swatted away by both Aguilar and Slaughter who combined for 11 blocks.

Aguilar's eight blocks were the most by a player in a league game since former Ginebra import Chris Alexander had 11 against Air21 in Game Three of the 2008 Fiesta Conference Finals.

Joseph Yeo scored 21 of his 28 points in the second half to lead Air21, now 1-7.

Ginebra coach Ato Agustin credited the team’s overall defense that prevented Air21’s leading scorer Macmac Cardona from doing his usual damage offensively.

With the driving lane clogged up, the usually reliable Cardona finished with just four points on a woeful 2-of-13 shooting from the field.

“It’s a big help na-control namin si Macmac. I think si Joseph (Yeo) lang ang nag-take over. Eh okay lang sa amin na isa lang mag-take over, basta yung suporta ni Macmac wala,” said Agustin.

The Express battled back from an 18-point deficit to close within five points several times in the final period, but couldn't get close enough to threaten the Gin Kings.

The scores:

GINEBRA 78 - Aguilar 22, Slaughter 19, Ellis 10, Caguioa 8, Baracael 7, Tenorio 4, Reyes 2, Helterbrand 2, Mamaril 2, Forrester 2, Monfort 0, Urbiztondo 0.

AIR21 69 - Yeo 28, Canaleta 14, Taulava 8, Camson 8, Cardona 4, Jaime 2, Burtscher 2, Custodio 2, Arboleda 1, Matias 0, Espiritu 0, Sharma 0, Ritualo 0.

Quarterscores: 15-16, 41-26, 57-46, 78-69

From SPIN.ph

[Zurca]

Hontiveros regains scoring touch as Alaska holds off Meralco to halt slide

ALASKA’s defense held Meralco to just one field goal in the final four minutes as it snapped out of a two-game slide with a huge 91-82 victory over the Bolts in their PLDT myDSL-PBA Philippine Cup on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Heroes were aplenty for the Aces, who caught up with their victims at 3-5 following the victory.

Dondon Hontiveros scored a personal season-high 24 points, while Cyrus Baguio banged in eight of the Aces’ last 10 points to break away from a 79-all standoff late in the game.

The high-leaping Baguio finished with 21 points, while Alaska strongman Sonny Thoss added 20 and Gabby Espinas came down with his own career-best 23 rebounds.

“Just really proud of the whole team. Gabby Espinas just career game. I haven’t seen him so motivated, controlling the boards and controlling his temper,” said Alaska coach Luigi Trillo.

“Dondon has struggled for quite some time now, but he played really well also tonight.”

The Aces managed to take good care of the basketball, limiting their turnovers to just eight. Alaska also held a huge 15-6 on turnover points, which enabled the Aces to put behind them a poor start for the season.

Meralco, which claimed huge wins over Barangay Ginebra and San Mig Super Coffee the past two weeks, absorbed its second straight setback.

The Bolts are coming off a 73-77 loss to unbeaten Petron Blaze on Saturday in the season’s first out-of-town game in Dipolog City.

Mike Cortez paced the Bolts with a near double-double of 23 points and eight assists.

Gary David and Reynel Hugnatan each scored 15 for Meralco, which returns to action on Sunday against Barako Bull.

The scores:

ALASKA (91) -- Hontiveros 24, Baguio 23, Thoss 20, Abueva 9, Espinas 7, Casio 4, Dela Cruz 2, Jazul 2, Exciminiano 0, Eman 0.

MERALCO (82) -- Cortez 22, David 15, Hugnatan 15, Wilson 10, Al-Hussaini 8, Dillinger 8, Sena 4, Timberlake 0, Salvacion 0, Guevarra 0.

Quarterscores: 22-19; 50-45; 68-66; 91-82.

From SPIN.ph

[Zurca]

De Ocampo, Castro rescue Talk 'N Text in OT as Barako Bull fightback falls short

TALK ‘N Text survived Barako Bull’s furious second-half charge behind the heroics of Jason Castro and Ranidel de Ocampo to escape with an 87-80 overtime win and cement its hold of third spot in the PLDT myDSL-PBA Philippine Cup on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Castro, last season’s Philippine Cup Best Player of the Conference, scored six of his team-high 23 points in the extension period, while de Ocampo’s two key offensive rebounds and a top-of-the-key triple saved the three-time Philippine champion from what could have been an appalling endgame collapse.

The Texters are now 5-2 (win-loss).

“I’m not sure whether we found a solution to their (Energy’s) zone defense, but I’m just glad we won the game,” said Talk ‘N Text coach Norman Black, who nonetheless expressed his disappointment over the way his team squandered a 23-point second quarter lead.

Black felt the team’s energy went down in the second half, allowing Barako Bull to climb back from a huge hole and forge overtime behind JC Intal and Willie Miller.

Miller finished the game with a team-high 16 points but turned from hero to goat when he muffed three straight charities with a chance to tie the count after being fouled by Larry Fonacier late in extension period.

Mick Pennisi and JC Intal bungled their three-point attempts later, sealing the Energy’s sixth straight defeat after a 2-0 start.

Earlier, Talk ‘N Text appeared headed for an easy rout after taking a 39-19 halftime bubble despite the absence of veteran guard Jimmy Alapag, who had to sit out because of a strained groin muscle.

Barako Bull’s 19 first-half points equalled the ninth all-time lowest output scored in a half in league history. The all-time low is 12 points scored by Mobiline in an 85-62 loss to Alaska in Urdaneta, Pangasinan on May 23, 1998.

The 19-point output was also an all-time franchise low for Barako Bull.

The scores:

TALK N' TEXT 87 - Castro 23, De Ocampo 17, Fonacier 13, Williams 10, Seigle 9, Carey 6, Baclao 4, Aban 3, Anthony 2, Celiz 0, Reyes 0, Poligrates 0.
 
BARAKO 80 - Miller 16, Intal 14, Pennisi 11, Jensen 10, Miranda 10, Pena 7, Buenafe 5, Maierhofer 3, Lastimosa 2, Isip 2, Wilson 0, Marcelo 0, Labagala 0.
 
Quarterscores: 18-7, 39-19, 57-44, 87-80

From SPIN.ph

[Zurca]

Hurting James Yap comes up clutch as San Mig nips GlobalPort in thriller

DIMINUTIVE playmaker Mark Barroca and James Yap nailed the big baskets down the stretch as San Mig Super Coffee nosed out a hard-fighting Globalport side, 83-80, for the team’s first back-to-back wins in the PLDT myDSL-PBA Philippine Cup on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Barroca banged in seven of his team-high 18 points, including two free throws on a Justin Chua errant pass in the dying seconds, while Yap shook off an injury to hit the biggest shot of the night as the Mixers sustained a resurgence after a struggling start to the season.

Yap, who was playing with an inflamed right elbow, nailed a wide-open three-pointer off a broken play with 25 ticks left that gave San Mig the lead for good, 81-80.

“Well that’s why he’s James Yap, he’s hit big shots over the years,” said a beaming San Mig coach Tim Cone after the game. "That (shot) was huge at the time we needed it."

The multi-titled PBA mentor also commended Barroca for his game-long hustle and energy, which saved the Mixers from an endgame collapse. The San Mig starting guard finished the game with nine assists.

“I love Mark. He plays hard all the time, practices hard all the time. He’s really a joy to coach. You can scream at him, throw in the toilet and he’ll say, 'Okay coach,'” he added.

While San Mig improved to 3-5 (win-loss), the loss snapped the Batang Pier’s franchise-best to three as the two-year-old PBA team dropped to 4-4.

Cone only had kinds words for his counterpart Ritchie Ticzon, who took Globalport’s coaching rein in an interim capacity, just a week before the start of the season.

“Ritchie’s doing a great job keeping those (Batang Pier) guys together. They are sharing the ball and working hard on defense,” said the San Mig mentor.

Sol Mercado led the Batang Pier with 18 points, while Jay Washington added 15 points, 18 rebounds and two blocks.

Rookie forward Ian Sangalang and Yap finished with 15 points apiece for the Mixers, while PJ Simon and Joe Devance added 14 and 13, respectively.

The scores:

SAN MIG 83 - Barroca 18, Sangalang 15, Yap 15, Simon 14, Devance 13, Pingris 4, Mallari 2, Reavis 2, Cawaling 0, Holstein 0.

GLOBALPORT 80 - Mercado 18, Washington 15, Chua 11, Nabong 8, Hayes 8, Garcia 8, Menk 6, Yee 2, Salva 2, Romeo 2, Villanueva 0, Lingganay 0, Salvador 0.

Quarterscores: 18-19, 41-37, 64-58, 83-80

From SPIN.ph

[Zurca]

LA Tenorio a thorn in side of former team Alaska as Ginebra gets win No. 7

LA Tenorio combined with Japeth Aguilar in a swashbuckling second-half offensive as Barangay Ginebra whipped the Alaska Aces, 96-89 to firm up its hold of second spot in the PLDT myDSL-PBA Philippine Cup on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The 5-8 Tenorio played a complete game against his former team, firing 24 points on top of eight rebounds and six assists as he pumped life back to Ginebra's offense after a mid-game wobble.

Tenorio’s presence on the floor stabilized Ginebra’s offense, particularly in the third period when Ginebra turned a nine-point deficit into a 68-65 lead going into the final 12 minutes of play.

On the other hand, Aguilar added 21 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three blocks in 40 minutes in another solid performance for the team's leading scorer this season.

Ginebra coach Ato Agustin said with the team’s seventh win in eight starts, the team has to guard against peaking too early in the double-round eliminations, especially as they prepare for the highly-anticipated Christmas Day match with unbeaten sister team Petron Blaze.

“Siyempre, yun din ang worry namin (early peaking of the team), pero alam naman namin kung paano sila (Gin Kings) bibigyan ng playing time. Kailangan lang namin mag-adjust sa laro,” said Agustin after the game.

Ginebra, which shot a high of 50.8 percent from the field in the game, outscored Alaska, 26-15 in the third period, behind the 14 points of Aguilar who attacked the basket with ferocity at every opportunity.

The high-leaping Aguilar went 11-of-16 from the free throw ine, sustaining his aggressiveness despite getting into several physical skirmishes inside the paint with Alaska’s Gabby Espinas and Calvin Abueva.

Top rookie pick Greg Slaughter acquited himself well in his first match-up with Alaska’s veteran big man Sonny Thoss, scoring 18 points to go with eight boards and two blocks.

JV Casio led the Aces (3-6) with 27 points while Thoss had 22 and six rebounds.

The scores:

GINEBRA 96 - Tenorio 24, Aguilar 21, Slaughter 18, Ellis 8, Urbiztondo 6, Ababou 4, Reyes 4, Helterbrand 4, Baracael 3, Caguioa 3, Monfort 1, Mamaril 0.
 
ALASKA 89 - Casio 27, Thoss 22, Espinas 12, Baguio 7, Abueva 6, Hontiveros 4, Ramos 4, Eman 4, Exciminiano 2, Dela Cruz 1, Belasco 0, Jazul 0, Avenido 0.
 
Quarters: 29-19, 42-50, 68-65, 96-89

From SPIN.ph

[Zurca]

Paul Lee's dagger trey helps Rain or Shine end Petron's unbeaten start to season

PAUL Lee hit a dagger three-pointer late in overtime as Rain or Shine pulled off a 99-95 win over Petron to end the Blaze Boosters' unbeaten start to the season on Saturday night in the PLDT myDSL-PBA Philippine Cup Saturday showdown at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Lee and Jervy Cruz combined for 11 of the E-Painters’ 12 points in overtime, none bigger than a three-pointer from the left corner by the 'Lee-thal Weapon' that finally cut Petron down to size after a run of seven successive victories to start the season.

“We just had to grind it out. We played a bad first half but we made up for it in the second half,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao, who, after seeing the Painters end a two-game losing streak, still couldn't resist taking a dig at the referees.

“We couldn’t get the breaks from the refs, so we had to create our own breaks.”

Dominated for the most part by Petron and trailing by as many as 15 points late in the first half, the E-Painters chewed the Boosters’ lead little by little behind the efforts of Cruz, Lee and JR Quinahan who got the better of fellow Cebuano June Mar Fajardo.

The sophomore Fajardo scored 22 points but was outshone by Quinahan in the final period before fouling out in the early moments of the extra period.

Still, Guiao was unhappy with the officiating after the game, pointing to two crucial calls late in regulation where he said the referees almost decided the outcome.

With Rain or Shine holding on to a precarious 87-85 lead with 14.3 seconds left in regulation play and Petron’s Chris Lutz sent to the foul line by Gabe Norwood, the referees called a discorcerting violation on Ryan Arana for entering the keyhole while Lutz shot the charity.

Lutz missed but got a reprieve after being given two more free throws. He made both to send the game into overtime.

“Dalawa yung crucial (call) dun eh. No. 1 was the disconcerting call which I thought was unnecessary because the refs tried to decide the game,” Guiao pointed out.

“And then the second was when Gabe took a pull-up jumper and then he was hit in the elbow. It happened in front of me. But the refs didn’t call a foul. Those two crucial calls in the last two minutes, we just absorbed them and overcame them.”

The win moved Rain or Shine to 5-3, just half a game behind Talk ‘N Text’s 5-2 record to occupy solo fourth in the standings.

On the other hand, Petron dropped into a share of first place with sister team Barangay Ginebra at 7-1 after the Gin Kings earlier ambushed the Alaska Aces, 96-89.

The scores:
 
RAIN OR SHINE 99 - Cruz 23, Lee 15, Quinahan 11, Belga 11, Norwood 11, Chan 8, Tiu 5, Rodriguez 5, Almazan 4, Teng 4, Ibanes 2, Arana 0, Tang 0, Nuyles 0.
 
PETRON 95 - Fajardo 22, Lutz 22, Santos 18, Cabagnot 16, Lassiter 10, Lanete 5, Kramer 2, Taha 0, Hubalde 0, Ross 0.
 
Quarterscores: 16-25, 38-51, 60-66, 87-87, 99-95

From SPIN.ph

[tonistork]

di ba congressman itong si kalbong guiao? dapat di na ito nagcocoach at magtrabaho ng maayos sa kongreso para naman makabawi mga tax ng mga mamamayan at ung pinampapasweldo sa kanya kasama na ung pork barrel nya.

[Zurca]

Hot-shooting Barako Bull ends six-game losing slump after win over Meralco (12/22/13)

BARAKO Bull finally got its act together as it subdued Meralco, 99-86, on Sunday to snap a six-game skid in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Denok Miranda led seven players in double figures as Barako Bull waxed hot from long range en route to nailing what was only its first win in almost a month.

Barako improved to 3-6 (win-loss) overall and forced a logjam in seventh place with its victim and Alaska.

“I told my players to just keep on pounding the rock. Finally na-split na namin sa dalawa,” said Energy Cola coach Bong Ramos, who was recently fined P30,000 for his comments about officiating. “Hopefully we can continue this.”

Miranda scattered 17 points behind a perfect 3-of-3 clip from three-point territory, while Willie Miller, Mick Pennisi, Mark Macapagal, JC Intal, and Keith Jensen buried at least one triple each as the Energy Cola converted a total of 14 triples.

They also scorched the net with 17 triples in their last win on November 24 against Alaska, 97-94, at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

One of Penisi’s three-point misses against the Bolts still led to three free throws that gave the Energy Cola their biggest lead at 84-66 early in the fourth quarter.

The Energy Cola spoiled the return of Meralco power forward Cliff Hodge, who was sidelined for a month due to a sprained ankle.

The scores:

BARAKO BULL (99) – Miranda 17, Miller 14, Pennisi 14, Macapagal 11, Intal 11, Maierhofer 10, Pena 10, Lastimosa 4, Jensen 3, Buenafe 3, Wilson 2, Marcelo 0

MERALCO (86) – David 20, Cortez 20, Al-Hussaini 19, Wilson 14, Hugnatan 5, Dillinger 4, Omolon 2, Guevarra 1, Hodge 1, Timberlake 0, Sena 0

Quarterscores: 24-19, 50-39, 78-63, 99-86

From SPIN.ph