KIA BRINGS DOWN ANOTHER POWERHOUSE
Boxing idol Manny Pacquiao finally nailed a first point in the PBA and Kia made it an even bigger occasion in sending defending champion Purefoods Star on its knees at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night.
Peter John Ramos put up another hulking performance with 32 points and 26 rebounds and guards LA Revilla and Eloy Poligrates helped Kia to a strong windup as the Carnival stunned the Hotshots, 95-84, for their second win in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
“Pinakita ng players namin na kaya nilang maglaro at lumaban,” said Pacquiao, the Kia playing coach who chipped in a point and an assist in their second upset win following an 88-78 reversal of Philippine Cup winner San Miguel Beer on Feb. 4.
“Yung execution namin sa practice, nangyari. At yung shooting namin kumonek,” Pacquiao also said after the win that lifted the team to ninth place at 2-4, just half-game behind Barangay Ginebra (2-3).
“May chance kami. Kailangan lang patindihin pa ang ensayo at gumawa ng maayos na plays,” said Pacquiao of their playoffs aspiration.
Purefoods struggled as Daniel Orton got into early foul trouble situation and eventually fouled out just seconds after his return on the floor in the fourth quarter with 1:31 left to play.
Failing to stop the Carnival’s endgame flurry, the Hotshots suffered a second straight loss after four straight wins.
Orton was limited to six points and three rebounds in 19 minutes of action.
Kia was still down at 79-82 before unleashing a 16-2 finishing kick behind Ramos, Revilla and Poligrates.
Revilla, also Kia’s big hero in the team’s two previous wins in the season, finished with a solid all-around effort with 18 points, seven assists, six rebounds and four steals while Poligrates contributed 15 markers.
Ramos also got into foul trouble but was able to finish the game, though, picking his fifth foul with over 10 minutes left to play. Orton drew his fifth foul moments later.
The 7-foot-3 Kia behemoth punished the Hotshots with his unstoppable inside attack, anchoring the Carnival’s fightback from 68-75 down at the start of the last quarter.
To counter Ramos’ dominant inside presence early on, the Hotshots nailed 8-of-13 three-pointers to take the half at 50-44.
The Hotshots led by as many as eight, 44-36, in the opening half, overcoming Ramos’ 17 points and the same number of rebounds in the first 24 minutes of play.
The Carnival took the opening quarter at 21-19 but yielded the lead as they shifted to zone on Pacquiao’s entry at the start of the second period.
With Kia playing zone, Mick Pennisi and Allein Maliksi rifled in a trey each in a run that shoved Purefoods ahead at 29-22.
The Hotshots scored 10 unanswered points after Kia made it 22-19 on Pacquiao’s first PBA point made from the stripe off a foul by Maliksi.
After that, Pacquiao twice attempted from the outside, the first one going air ball and the second barely hitting the board. (SB)
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