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PBA: Petron seizes top spot with win over San Mig Coffee
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Petron's Elijah Millsap (C) tries to drive by San Mig's Alex Mallari (L) and Marqus Blakely. Nuki Sabio
The Petron Blaze Boosters extended their winning streak to four games at the expense of the San Mig Coffee Mixers, 89-83, in the 2013 PBA Governor's Cup, Saturday, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Trailing in what was initially a game of runs, the Boosters broke the game wide-open with a 15-3 rally spanning the latter two quarters. Petron suffocated the Mixers defense, and came up with key stops in the final stretch to keep their streak alive.
Petron improved to a league-best 4-1, holding a half-game lead over Barako Bull Energy Cola at 3-1. Meanwhile, the Mixers fell to ninth at 1-3, just ahead of the 1-4 Air21 Express.
Elijah Millsap was named player of the game for his 31 points, 16 rebounds, six assists and six steals. Chris Lutz and Ronald Tubid had 10 points each and played tough defense down the stretch to steer Petron to victory.
"I think coming into this game our mindset was just to protect our spot in the top of the rankings," said Petron head coach Gee Abanilla. "It's very important for us to keep our top-four position to realize our goal of reaching at least the semifinals of this conference."
Abanilla credited their win to good defensive play by his entire team, particularly in the latter quarters. "In the end we were just lucky to have the right combinations and match-ups to limit them to just 36 points in the second half. I think that was the key," he said.
James Yap and Marqus Blakely fired up the Mixers right after tip-off, as Yap converted two treys, and Blakely attacked the interior. Yap then fired the lead pass for a Blakely slam in transition, 12-7, forcing Petron to call an early timeout.
Heady play by Elijah Millsap anchored the Boosters, as they found ways to get into the shaded area. Millsap and Doug Kramer scored eight points during a 10-0 run for Petron, taking a 22-19 lead with two and a half minutes left. San Mig Coffee retook the momentum though, as back-to-back makes by PJ Simon spurred them to a 27-23 lead at the end of the frame.
In the second quarter, Petron imposed their will on the defensive end, limiting the Mixers to just a wild turnaround jumper by Yancy De Ocampo in the first five minutes. Meanwhile, the Boosters barreled to the rim to net a 33-29 advantage.
The Mixers quickly reversed the tables, as it was their turn to dominate Petron on both ends. Blakely played strong inside the paint, while Allein Maliksi earned points at the stripe, as the pair scored 13 of their next 16 points.
Petron engineered ways to escape San Mig Coffee's defenses though, as Chris Lutz found daylight from beyond the arc to have Petron trail by only two in the last 30 seconds. Alex Cabagnot joined the fray with another trey, before Yap stole one in transition to keep a 47-46 Mixers lead at the halftime break.
The Mixers shot 18-of-39 (46.2 percent) in the first half. Meanwhile, Petron went for 14-of-43 (32.6 percent), with just six field goals in the second period. The Mixers also led 9-2 in second-chance points despite trailing on the offensive glass, 9-4.
San Mig's James Yap (C) goes for a one-hander against Petron's Alex Cabagnot (L). Nuki Sabio
When play resumed, the Mixers picked up right where they left off, as Blakely and Alex Mallari pushed the lead to seven, 53-46. However, Petron punched through the lane with a 9-4 run, though a rash of missed charities by Millsap prevented them from advancing further, resulting in a tied game, 55-55.
It was only the beginning of a quarter-long see-saw, as San Mig Coffee hit their stride with five minutes left, setting up good looks in the halfcourt while finding ways to run after completing defensive stops. As a result, Simon took off for six points in a 10-2 run, punctuated by a Blakely slam in the open court, 65-57.
However, the last two minutes belonged to Petron, as Millsap attacked the paint, supported by five points from Chico Lanete, to end the quarter with nine unanswered points. Entering the fourth, the Boosters had a 66-65 lead.
Petron continued to stay aggressive around the hoop, taking a 72-68 lead while Blakely muffed his shots from the line to begin the final frame. Yap made a pair of treys nearly five minutes into the frame, the Mixers' first field goals of the quarter. But they couldn't catch a break, as Yap's treys were matched by Ronald Tubid and Millsap, en route to stretching the lead to double-digits, 84-74.
With three minutes to play, Mallari hit a Hail Mary from deep to re-energize his team. Blakely followed it up with a one-handed jam, but they couldn't keep things rolling. San Mig Coffee conceded a floater to Millsap on the next play, and June Mar Fajardo swatted an inside try by Marc Pingris. Offensive rebounds kept the ball with the Boosters, before Tubid hit a dagger triple from the left corner, 89-79, with 48 ticks left.
After a Mixers timeout, Blakely and Pingris came up with quick hits to draw closer with around 30 seconds left. However, unable to retake possession, San Mig Coffee watched Petron dribble out the clock to keep the victory.
Petron won despite shooting 30-of-89 (33.7 percent) from the field, offsetting it with a 20-of-26 (76.9 percent) mark from the charity stripe. In contrast, the Mixers were 33-of-76 (43.4 percent) from the field, but converted just half of their 22 free throw attempts, including a glaring 3-of-12 mark from Blakely.
Despite his free throw shooting troubles, Marqus Blakely led his team with 25 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks. James Yap notched 14 points and seven rebounds, including 3-of-4 three-pointers made. Allein Maliksi and PJ Simon registered 11 and 10 points, respectively. - RAF, GMA News
The scores:
Petron 89 - Millsap 31, Lutz 10, Tubid 10, Fajardo 8, Cabagnot 8, Santos 7, Lassiter 6, Lanete 5, Kramer 4
San Mig Coffee 83 - Blakely 25, Yap 14, Maliksi 11, Simon 10, Mallari 7, Devance 5, Pingris 5, Reavis 4, De Ocampo 2, Barroca 0
Quarter scoring: 23-27, 46-47, 66-65, 89-83
