PBA: Graham scores 51 as Air21 outguns Powerade

The Air 21 Express scored 99 points in the first three quarters, and built a comfortable enough lead to thwart a late Powerade comeback in the fourth quarter to escape with a win, 128-121, Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, in the 2012 PBA Governors' Cup.
 
The Express were automatic from the get-go, scoring 33 points to Powerade's 23 in the first quarter. Air21 then continued with its sweet shooting in the second quarter, with Zach Graham taking charge to erect a 24-point advantage at the half, 68-44.
 
Come the third period, Air21 was running on all cylinders, with James Sena and Nelbert Omolon joining the scoring barrage, as a Graham jumper from the corner gave the Express its biggest lead at 25, 85-60.
 
The deficit did not stay that wide for long, though, as Gary David finally found his stroke, scoring seven straight points along with an Omar Sneed's short stab that pulled the Tigers closer, 85-69.
 
Ren-Ren Ritualo tried to quell the Powerade surge by scoring back-to-back three's to bring the lead back to 20, 91-71, but Josh Vanlandingham got his game going early in the fourth, outdoing the wily veteran by connecting on three straight three-pointers.
 

With Sneed and Jondan Salvador forcing the issue in the paint, the Tigers inched even closer, to slash what was once a 25-point lead to seven, 113-106.
 
The two teams traded shots, before two straight three's by the Tigers cut the lead to six with 49.6 remaining. As Powerade continued to press, Graham went on to dribble the ball past the halfway mark, eluding defenders and fishing a foul.
 
The Air21 import made both free throws, but the Express shot themselves in the foot on the next possession, when Sena fouled David at the other end while taking a three. David's charities brought the lead even lower to five, but Graham's made two freebies from the line and Jayvee Casio missed from beyond the three-point line to finally secured the win for Air21.
 
Zachary Graham broke the 50-point mark, tallying 51 points on 14-of-20 shooting, coupled with a hair-raising 20-of-21 effort from the foul line. He also added 12 boards and six dimes, versus just three turnovers.

Ren-Ren Ritualo notched 22 points in 21 minutes on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting night from beyond the arc, while three other members of the Express tallied double-figures, namely Nelbert Omolon, JR Sena, and Mark Isip.
 
"I told them this is our chance to prove that they deserve to be in the PBA. They're the chosen few to play in the PBA and they should make the most out of their chance right now. They should start accepting their roles, sacrificing. The only way we can compete is to outwork them," said Air21 head coach Franz Pumaren.

Powerade drew 40 points from their import Omar Sneed, but Gary David was off the mark in this outing, with a 7-of-20 performance from the field, though he made up for it at the line where he was 11-for-12, to finish with 28 markers.

The Express played like their namesake, getting 19 points in transition to post a 2-5 record, avoiding a tie in the cellar with the Alaska Aces. Powerade on the other hand, fell into a three-time knot with Ginebra and Petron, as the three clubs all have 4-3 cards. — ELR/AMD, GMA News
 
The scores:
 
AIR21 128 - Graham 51, Ritualo 22, Omolon 17, Sena 10, Isip 10, Hubalde 5, Arboleda 5, Sison 4, Bagatsing 2, Espiritu 2.
 
POWERADE 121 - Sneed 40, David 28, Vanlandingham 10, Al-Hussaini 10, Casio 8, Anthony 7, Lingganay 6, Martinez 5, Guevarra 4, Salvador 3, Allera 0, Calimag 0, Tugade 0, Antonio 0.
 
Quarters: 33-23, 68-44, 99-80, 128-121