PBA: Urbiztondo stars as Barako Bull halts Air21

 

Josh Urbiztondo did it both on the offensive and defensive end, canning key treys and grabbing big steals as Barako Bull Energy Cola unleashed a 17-0 run in the fourth to defeat the Air21 Express, 91-86, on Friday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. "This team, they have character and they fight until the end," said team consultant Rajko Toroman. "We were fighting and we found a way to win this game. Big win for us tonight." An Urbiztondo trey tied the game at 81-all, before Mick Pennisi split from the line to give Barako the lead, 82-81, with 2:52 remaining. Urbiztondo would can another three, which was followed by a Pennisi trey. By then, the Energy found themselves up 88-81 with 1:45 remaining in the game. Air21 would take too much time trying to convert on the floor, with Niño Cañaleta hitting a three with 19.4 seconds remaining. The Express tried to stop the clock by sending Urbiztondo to the line, where the Barako guard canned both charities for a four-point lead with 18.4 ticks to go. The game ended with a missed three by Wynne Arboleda. Urbiztondo had 15 points, five assists, and four steals as Barako Bull improved to 3-1. Air21 now goes down to 1-2. The first quarter got off to a lackluster start, as both teams couldn't get their offenses to click. But halfway through the quarter, Barako's JC Intal and Allein Maliksi came through with back-to-back treys to create some separation with four minutes to play, 17-9. Air21 import Michael Dunigan tried to rally his team back, as he scored seven of the Express' last nine points of the quarter, but Danny Siegle and the rest of Barako Bull kept the margin comfortable, matching Air21 nearly to the bucket to end the first quarter with a 27-18 lead. The Express caught Barako Bull flatfooted in the second quarter. After an initial bucket by Jonas Villanueva, Wynne Arboleda and Mike Cortez nailed consecutive triples to forge an 8-1 spurt that forced Barako Bull to call timeout. It was then Intal's turn to drain consecutive treys, but the Express locked up import Evan Brock, preventing Barako Bull from scoring points in the paint. Air21 then blitzed them in a 13-8 run, featuring two triples by Nino Canaleta, to knot the game at 38-apiece with under five minutes to play. Air21's persisted with their perimeter-oriented attack, as Ren-Ren Ritualo and Cortez finished the quarter with the Express' last nine points and grabbing a slim lead as the half ended, 47-46. The Express were 10-of-16 from the floor in the second quarter, including a 5-of-7 mark from downtown. On the other hand, Barako Bull were limited to just 7-of-21 from the floor during the same period (33.3 percent). Barako Bull wouldn't go away in the third quarter, as Brock battled the Express to haul his team out of a six-point hole, 55-all. However, just as Villanueva checked out with an injured hamstring, the outside shots stopped falling for Barako Bull and they were forced to contend with Dunigan's forays into the paint. The big man combined with Bonbon Custodio for nine of their last 11 points to take a 66-61 lead heading into the final quarter. Dunigan scored 11 of his team's 19 points in the period, helped by a 5-of-6 mark from the free throw line. The Express extended their rally into the fourth quarter, where back-to-back hits by John Wilson and Canaleta sparked an 11-5 run. A technical foul and free throw charged to Seigle didn't help, putting Air21 ahead by double digits, 77-66. Instead of collapsing however, the big deficit only fired up Barako, which launched their late-game rally soon after. Barako Bull outgunned the Express from beyond the arc, making 9-of-25 attempts (36 percent) in contrast to Air21's 6-of-20 mark (30 percent). However the Express won the rebounding battle (47-42), including a 15-11 edge on the offensive glass, leading to a 19-9 margin on second-chance points. But that aside, Air21 shot 31-of-75 (41.3 percent) as opposed to Barako Bull's 30-of-70 clip (42.9 percent). Michael Dunigan led all scorers with 30 points, 19 rebounds and two blocks. Nino Canaleta added 15 points and seven rebounds, while Mike Cortez tallied 14 points, four rebounds and five assists. Cortez, however, also turned the ball over five times. - RAF/AMD, GMA News