PBA: James Yap scores 41; Giants beat Dragons

Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs got a giant game from James Yap to defeat Welcoat Paints, 109-97, and secure a spot in the wildcard phase of the 2007 Talk N Text - PBA Fiesta Conference playoffs. Yap exploded with a career-high 41 points at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City that helped the Giants avoided any complications in attaining their trip to the next round, according to www.pba.ph. Yap, who contributed six of the Purefoods' 11 3-pointers, got enough support from import Marquin Chandler and Rey Evangelista in taking care of the shaded area. New addition Romel Adducual and Marc Pingris, back from the injury list, did not score as much but Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio said that the two inspired the team. "We were very confident. And no one displayed it more than James (Yap ). He took a lot of shots (31 attempts) knowing Marc (Pingris) will be there for the rebound," said the Purefoods coach. The Giants ended the elimination round with a 6-12 (win-loss) record and need two more victories – both knockout games in the wildcard phase of the playoffs -- to reach the best-of-three quarterfinals. "I told the players to forget about the elimination round. It's not something that we will be proud about. But if there's one team that has made a good job of surviving, it's us... We have been on the brink of elimination many times this season but we've always found a way to survive," Gregorio added. Chandler finished with 23 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists while Peter June Simon celebrated his 27 th birthday by contributing 16 points and Noy Castillo added 10 for Purefoods, who posted their second win in their last seven assignment. The Dragons won four games out of 14 assignments in elims and ended the season with 7-29 mark. The scores: Purefoods 109 – Yap J. 41, Chandler 23, Simon 16, Castillo 10, Yap R. 8, Evangelista 8, Yee 2, Adducul 1, Pingris 1. Welcoat 97 – White 29, Compton 19, Wainwright 16, Cabatu 13, Baguion 7, Gelig 5, Reyes 4, Lopez 2, Sta. Maria 2, Lao 0. Quarterscores: 25-14, 48-31, 75-57, 109-97. - GMANews.TV