MIXERS TRIP BATANG PIER, NAIL 1ST BACK-TO-BACK Ws
San Mig Coffee outmaneuvered Globalport at endgame of a well-fought match, pounding one big rookie mistake in the closing seconds as the Mixers nipped the Batang Pier, 83-80, in the PLDT MyDSL PBA Philippine Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City Friday night.
James Yap banged in a three-pointer then Mark Barroca pulled a steal and made two charities inside the last 25 seconds as the Mixers scored their first back-to-back wins in the season while denying the Batang Pier a fourth straight victory.
The Mixers drew even with the Alaska Milk Aces and the Meralco Bolts at sixth place at 3-5 while stalling the Batang Pier at fifth with a 4-4 slate.
The Batang Pier had a big chance to make it four in a row until Justin Chua committed one big blunder at the finish.
The rookie center/forward made a passing error that landed in the hands of Barroca, who subsequently went to the line off a foul from Chua himself and canned the two important freebies making it 83-80.
The Globalport eventually yielded the match on missed three-point attempts by Terrence Romeo and Jay Washington.
“It’s still a struggle for us right now. The guys are a little worn-out and it seems like years that we got back-to-back wins,” said San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone.
“We’re lucky James came up with that huge trey. Then there’s Ping’s defense. He sacrificed himself to do the dirty job,” Cone added.
Barroca was as productive as he’s been in the conference.
The former Smart Gilas playmaker produced game highs of 18 points and nine assists laced with that endgame steal that sent the Batang Pier down on their knees.
Yap and Ian Sangalang contributed 15 points each, Peter June Simon chimed in 14 and Joe Devance added 13 in what’s easily San Mig’s most balanced game in the tourney.
Sol Mercado and Jay Washington once again paced Globalport with 18 and 15 markers, respectively.
Chua had solid numbers of 11 points and six boards only to hasten their downfall in the dying seconds. (SB)
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