PBA: Llamados' defense kicks in, forces Game 6

(Updated 9:27pm) The B-MEG Llamados got the defensive performance they had been searching for all series long, holding off a Rain or Shine Elasto Painters celebration by keeping the 2012 PBA Governors' Cup Finals series alive at 3-2, with a 91-81 victory, Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

"We came out and played with tremendous energy," said B-MEG head coach Tim Cone after the game. "Getting back to basics, playing to who we are, playing with what's in front of us, the focus was no longer on winning the championship, but on winning the next game."

The Elasto Painters had previously won three out of four by scoring more than 90 points, but a determined B-MEG quintet made sure that didn't happen this time around.


The Llamados looked aggressive early, jumping on a 7-2 lead after a Marqus Blakely dunk a minute into the first period, but Jamelle Cornley and Jeff Chan kept things close, with the later hitting a three to cut the lead to two, 13-11.

At the 2:54 mark, James Yap and Jireh Ibanes were each slapped with a flagrant foul penalty 1, as replays showed that Ibanez gave Yap an elbow to the face on an earlier play, with Yap retaliating with a shot to the gut of Ibanez on the next possession.

"Ok lang pisikal [play], huwag lang sadya kasi medyo di maganda....Pag siko na sinasadya, tumama sayo di na tama yun," said Yap of his actions, after the game.

It was a team affair for the Elasto Painters soon after, as Jervy Cruz, Ryan Arana and Ronjay Buenafe teamed up to finally give RoS the lead, 18-17, with 21 seconds remaining. B-MEG still ended the quarter with the advantage, though, as a Blakely drive with five seconds to go put the Llamados ahead, 19-18.

In the second, a Larry Rodriguez jumper from the elbow put RoS ahead again, 25-22, before back-to-back hits from Blakely and PJ Simon gave B-MEG the lead back, 26-25.

Though Cornley responded with a three, B-MEG was quick to counter with eight straight to take a 34-28 lead that as it turned out, they would hold on to for good.

With Cornley and Quinahan asserting themselves in the shaded area, the inside attack of the Elasto Painters knotted things up before the buzzer, 41-all, but James Yap hit a three with one second remaining to keep his side on top headed into the intermission.

An early run had B-MEG up 50-43, but the Elasto Painters started to chip away at the lead, as five straight points from Cornley and Jireh Ibanez put them within striking distance, 59-56. However, their momentum was cut short when Beau Belga got ejected after getting his second technical foul, following a tackle on the Llamados' import.

The sanction fired up the Llamados, as they went on a big 11-5 run to end the period, 70-61.

A basket by Rafi Reavis to start the fourth gave B-MEG their first double-digit lead, 72-61, but the Llamados were met by a barrage of triples by Ryan Arana, who started things off with a four-point play.

Less than two minutes into the final period, B-MEG held a commanding 14-point lead, 77-63, before Ryan Arana strung seven straight points to bring down the deficit to seven, 77-70.


With Gabe Norwood on the bench however, rookie Mark Barroca capitalized on his match-up against the smaller TY Tang to score four straight, bringing the lead back to double-digits. With 1:40 remaining, B-MEG found themselves up 14, 91-77, before two more conversions by RoS settled the score, 91-81.

"We talked about stepping up. James walked the talk tonight. He put us on his shoulders and carried us. A Michael Jordan performance," said B-MEG head coach Tim Cone.

Yap poured in a 30-point game to carry his side, and he also took time out to honor his former mother-in-law Corazon Aquino, whose death anniversary was on the same day, saying that he dedicated the win to her.

Import Blakely added 24 points, 13 rebounds and five assists, while Yancy De Ocampo had a standout performance as starter, chipping in a double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds.

Another x-factor to the game, according to Cone, was the presence of Fil-American head coach Erik Spoelstra, of the reigning NBA champions Miami Heat. Spoelstra not only watched the game, but visited the Llamados afterward, something which Cone said was "the best part of winning tonight."

Jamelle Cornley top-scored for Rain or Shine with 25 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and two steals, but it wasn't enough to get the "W." Jeff Chan and Ryan Arana added 14 and 11 more, respectively.

Seen warming up prior to tip-off were Rookie of the Year Paul Lee, of the Rain or Shine team, and All-Defensive team member Marc Pingris of B-MEG. Both didn't play however, with Lee still sidelined with a shoulder injury suffered in game two of the Finals, and Pingris resting a stiff neck, which was injured by Ryan Arana in a scuffle in Game Four.  

Game six between these two sides will be on Friday, also at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

B-MEG 91 - Yap 30, Blakely 24, De Ocampo 14, Barroca 9, Simon 7, Urbiztondo 2, Villanueva 2, Reavis 2, Gaco 1.

RoS 81 - Cornley 25, Chan 14, Arana 11, Cruz 8, Ibanes 6, Buenafe 5, Belga 4, Quinahan 4, Tang 2, Rodriguez 2, Norwood 0.

Quarter scoring: 19-18, 44-41, 70-61, 91-81