PBA: Air21 makes it three in a row, beats San Mig 87-82

(Updated 9:38pm) The Air21 Express extended their first winning streak in PBA Commissioner's Cup, snagging their third straight victory against the San Mig Coffee Mixers, 87-82, on Wednesday at the Cuneta Astrodome. San Mig Coffee struggled in the absence of forward Joe Devance. Though the Mixers led by as much as five early in the second quarter, Michael Dunigan and the Express forced them to struggle for much of the second half, en route to the defeat. Mike Cortez was named player of the game, tallying 13 points and six assists, including a 3-of-5 clip from downtown. After starting the conference with a 1-5 record, Air21 have won three straight games. On the other hand the Mixers have lost two of their last three games. Both teams sit at 4-5, tied at sixth place. In the first quarter, Air21 forced a couple of turnovers, which led to easy fast break points for an initial 8-4 lead. San Mig Coffee however gained traction as Denzel Bowles became a reliable presence and hit several midrange jumpers. With two minutes to play, James Yap nailed a long triple, as the Mixers ended the first quarter on a 12-7 run to take a 18-15 after one quarter. After trading baskets in the half court set in the second, Air21 pushed the pace and tried to gain an advantage in transition. The Express' guards hustled for those looks, as the Express went on a 15-5 run, capped by a basket by Ogie Menor, for a 31-27 lead with five minutes to play. The Express fizzled out as time wound down, but Michael Dunigan repeatedly repelled San Mig Coffee's drives and made sure they would not make any headway. Yap missed a three-pointer as the halftime buzzer sounded, as his team trailed, 35-31. Air21 gained some separation after the break, as Mike Cortez, KG Canaleta and Nelbert Omolon connected from deep to widen the gap, 46-39. With five and a half minutes to play, San Mig Coffee hoped to rally around a PJ Simon trey, as he and Bowles scored their next seven points. However, Dunigan battled them on the other end, as Air21's import scored six of their next nine. Canaleta then stole the inbounds pass after a made basket for an easy lay-up, 57-46. The Mixers managed to rally back in the last three minutes, as Simon led the charge anew with seven of the Mixers' last nine points to keep the deficit at eight after three quarters, 63-55. Back-to-back baskets by Bowles early in the fourth quarter boosted San Mig Coffee with a 6-2 run to make it a two-possession game, 65-61. The Express countered by sending Dunigan and Mark Isip into the paint, netting them free throws. Simon pitched in another three-ball to stay within four though, 64-60. Both teams were near-unwatchable for a good stretch, as neither side could effectively take control of the game. Once again the Mixers would show signs of life, as Mark Barocca converted consecutive buckets at around the five-minute mark, but the Express slowly began to pull away. Dunigan and Canaleta kept San Mig Coffee at arm's length, fashioning a double-digit lead, 79-68, with two minutes remaining. San Mig Coffee tried to make inroads from the free throw line, but Wynne Arboleda made three straight from the field to keep the Express ahead by at least nine points. With under 33 seconds to play, Yap and Barocca made back-to-back three-pointers to try to ease the final tally, but it was still Air21 that picked up the 'W' when the final buzzer sounded. Joe Devance sat out tonight's game with a hyper-extended knee. Reports from San Mig Coffee estimate his return in two weeks. - CLP/AMD, GMA News The scores: AIR21 87 - Dunigan 25, Cortez 13, Canaleta 11, Arboleda 10, Isip 7, Omolon 7, Wilson 4, Menor 4, Custodio 4, Baclao 2, Sena 0, Ritualo 0 SAN MIG COFFEE 82 - Bowles 24, Simon 20, Yap 17, Barroca 10, Reavis 5, De Ocampo 4, Gonzales 2, Mallari 0, Gaco 0, Najorda 0, Pingris 0 Quarter scoring: 15-18, 35-31, 63-55, 87-82