PBA: Wounded wonders carry B-MEG over Barako Bull

The B-MEG Llamados were hurt up front, with Marc Pingris not 100 percent after a hand injury, and import Marqus Blakely suffering from back spasms during the game. The duo though was still too much for the Barako Bull Energy to handle.

The reigning Commissioner's Cup champs built a big lead in the third quarter and then held on to survive a spirited Barako Bull Energy rally, winning 95-90, Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in the 2012 PBA Governor's Cup.

"[It's] certainly nice to have Ping [Marc Pingris] back," said B-MEG head coach Tim Cone. "Marqus [Blakely] played a little gingerly [as] his back clamped up [but] he's a warrior, he played well."

Up 17 early on in the fourth quarter, 73-56 on a charity by JC Intal, Willie Miller exploded for nine of an 11-2 run that had the B-MEG lead down to single digits, 76-68.


James Yap countered with a floater at the 5:43 mark to take their advantage back up to 10, 78-68, but a few plays later, Don Allado combined with Miller again for a quick five unanswered, drawing to within five, 81-76.

With time winding down, charities from Marc Pingris, off an and-one play, and Yancy De Ocampo surrounded a Miller jumper, 86-78. But after an empty Barako Bull possession, Llamados import Marqus Blakely missed a buzzer-beating attempt, only to have Josh Urbiztondo corral the repossession to kill even more time.

Allado once more tried to bring his side closer, drawing a Pingris harm on a rebound try. He made both with 1:19 left, 86-80, but Miller clumsily fouled Yap on a triple attempt on the other end. Given a chance to put the game away, Yap missed the first and then connected on the other two, 88-80, 1:04 left.

Triples by Pennisi and Miller had it all the way down to three points with 37.2 seconds left, but Ronald Tubid gambled on a steal in the backcourt and whiffed on it, wasting precious time. It took seven seconds for the Energy to foul Urbiztondo after the inbounds pass, and he made both, 92-88.

Miller then missed a triple on the succeeding possession, and that was game for Barako Bull, who played the majority of the fourth quarter with import Jamine Peterson riding the pine.

Early on, the Energy looked to be on fire, with five of their first six field goal attempts being triples, to put them up 17-12. Baskets by Leo Najorda kept them ahead through the second quarter, but a bucket in transition by JC Intal and a triple from Mark Barroca gave B-MEG the lead at the break, 42-41.

In the third, the Llamados started off sans import, but Blakely later came out of the locker room and asked to be put in. He then immediately scored B-MEG's next five points, stretching the Energy deficit to eight, 55-47.

By the end of the quarter, Blakely had single-handedly outscored the entire Barako Bull team in the third, 17 versus 15, including a triple with 2.3 seconds to go, to put his side up 70-56 with 12 minutes left.


Blakely finished with 29 points in 35 minutes of action, to go with 15 rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocks in monstrous stat-line for the Llamados.

James Yap added 15, while Marc Pingris posted a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds for the short-handed Llamados, who were without birthday celebrant PJ Simon, due to a foot injury.

Willie Miller matched Blakely point-for-point, as he too scored 29 points, along with seven dimes. Leo Najorda added 13, but was the only other member of the Energy to finish in double figures.

Import Jamine Peterson had another poor outing, playing 27 minutes but finishing with just four points, on a shaky 1-of-10 shooting performance. He did have 10 rebounds and five assists though, but it was a disappoint outing on the whole.

B-MEG ruled the glass with their more active big men, getting a 60-36 advantage on the glass, including a dominant 23-8 figure in offensive rebounds, good for a 12-2 margin in second-chance points.

The Llamados also got to the line more, converting 29-of-37 foul shots. The Energy only attempted 25 all-in-all, making 18 for a 72 percent clip.

B-MEG improved to 2-1 with the victory, while Barako Bull dropped to 1-2, in a tie with the two teams that figured in the night's first game, the Powerade Tigers and the Alaska Aces.  - GMA News


The scores:

B-MEG 95 - Blakely 29, Yap 15, Pingris 11, Reavis 10, De Ocampo 10, Urbiztondo 8, Barroca 5, Villanueva 4, Intal 3, Gaco 0.

BARAKO BULL 90 - Miller 29, Najorda 13, Cruz 9, Allado 9, Weinstein 7, Tubid 7, Pennisi 6, Peterson 4, Seigle 4, Kramer 2, Salvacion 0

Quarter scoring: 18-20, 42-41, 70-56, 95-90