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SAN MIG COFFEE TAKES OVER DRIVER’S SEAT, 3-2
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THERE was no huge lead for San Mig Coffee nor a big fight back by Petron Blaze Sunday.
Just the constant that is Mark Barroca as the Mixers notched a 114-103 victory over the Boosters to move within another win of topping the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Game 4 hero scored a career high-tying 22 points and issued five of what is now a personal best of 10 assists in the fourth period to prop San Mig’s charge into the PLDT Telpad-sponsored title duel’s first back-to-back wins.
Marqus Blakely notched 30 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists in a no-relief job while James Yap, PJ Simon and Yancy de Ocampo all also scored in double digits.
Yet even winning coach Tim Cone had to admit Barroca keyed the victory as he also played tough against Petron import Elijah Millsap.
“Mark’s defense on Millsap was out of this world,” enthused Cone. “To see a 5-8 guy playing a 6-5 and playing him well.”
Some clutch shots, especially triples, also helped as San Mig initially charged back from a 12-point deficit before posting a 108-94 spread of its own in the fourth period.
“The key was we hit big shots,” said Mixers coach Tim Cone. “We’re not truly known to be a big shot team but tonight we were.”
Indeed, San Mig finished with an 8-for-15 clip from beyond the arc, a very far cry from its 17-for-65 three-point shooting in the series’ first four games.
Those bombs also came when the Mixers needed them most, as they finally got full separation from the Boosters.
A last surge by Petron came when Millsap drained a trey and June Mar Fajardo strung up five points that moved their team to within 102-108. But that threat was quickly quashed when Yap hit a shotclock-beating triple and a runner, making it 113-102, only 2:05 left.
Now up 3-2 in the best-of-seven series, the Mixers can finally lay hands on the crown that eluded them last year and they last held in 2002 should they win anew Wednesday, also at the Big Dome.
Petron coach Gee Abanilla admitted his team was no match for San Mig, at least for tonight. “San Mig just played really good basketball tonight. They shot the ball really well and I think they also played defense well,” he said, while adding there’s still enough fight left in his team.
“Right now we’re down but certainly not out,” stated Abanilla. “We’ll regroup and make use of the next two days to come up with a better gameplan.”
Millsap wound up with 37 points and 14 rebounds and Fajardo 23 points and 16 rebounds but the biggest disappointment for Petron was recently named season MVP Arwind Santos, who matched his season-low with only two points.
Worse, Santos was slapped an F1 for tripping Joe Devance at the 8:58 mark of the third quarter and was not fielded anew until the final 2:05 of the game.
After missing the last two games due to a foot injury, Alex Cabagnot saw action and had five points and seven assists.
The entire Boosters crew made 15 of its 37 triple tries, but shot 33-for-78 from the field overall to San Mig’s 41-for-74.
Cone said his team plans on bracing for a sure fightback by Petron on Wednesday.
“The next game is going to be a lot harder than this one, that’s for sure,” stressed Cone. “We’ve got to find a way to keep them uncomfortable. Just play, that’s what we got to do in Game 6. Just play.”
Barroca did just that after scoring seven of his 12 points in the fourth quarter to key San Mig’s 88-86 victory just last Friday, this time scattering 19 points in the two middle quarters and leading the Mixers’ charge from a 34-46 deficit and into a 78-69 lead.
De Ocampo also helped draw Fajardo away from the basket with some medium range jumpers that also helped keep Petron at bay before Simon completed a three-point play, Alex Mallari boomed in a triple and Barroca found Simon twice for five straight points that plucked the Mixers away from a 97-94 count.
Simon scored 10 of his 16 in the payoff canto.
Barroca first got going in the second quarter and joined hands with Blakely in the charge that drew them level with Petron at the half before adding nine points in the third that saw San Mig take an 87-80 lead into the last 12 minutes of play. (NC)
The scores:
San Mig Coffee 114 – Blakely 30, Barroca 22, Simon 17, Yap 14, De Ocampo 10, Pingris 9, Mallari 5, Devance 5, Acuna 2.
Petron 103 – Millsap 37, Fajardo 23, Tubid 12, Lutz 10, Lassiter 9, Lanete 5, Cabagnot 5, Santos 2, Kramer 0, Hubalde 0.
Quarters: 21-18, 54-54, 87-80, 114-103
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