PBA: San Mig Coffee evens semis series with Air21 at one win apiece

(Updated 10:31pm) The San Mig Super Coffee Mixers bounced back to take the second semifinals game against the Air21 Express, 82-75, in the 2014 PBA Commissioner's Cup, Thursday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Import James Mays set the tone with 13 markers in the first quarter, before finishing with 25 points, 23 rebounds and five assists. PJ Simon added 13 points, while Justin Melton offered 12. Joe Devance chipped in 10 points, four rebounds and five assists.

"I felt we got back to our identity tonight. First and foremost we're a defensive team. We gave up 100 points in game one and that just wasn't our character," said coach Tim Cone.  “We got back to the tempo which we like to play at and put the effort on the defensive side."

The Mixers led by as much as 20 points by dominating the game with lockdown defense, preventing the Express from getting into their usual comfort zones. Air21 went on a 13-0 run midway through the fourth to cut the lead to 77-70, but a combination of poor decision -making and bad luck tilted affairs to San Mig Coffee in the end game.

"We took care of the ball better," said Cone, "and it looked like Sean Anthony was hobbling out there, and that probably helped a bit. Except for that run in the fourth quarter, he wasn't much of a factor tonight."

With the series tied, the pivotal third game will be played on Saturday at Smart-Araneta Coliseum. Cone deemed the win a breakthrough, insofar as they halted the Express’ unbeaten run in three playoff games.

"One game doesn't make momentum, I'm a big believer in that," he said. "All we did right now is stop their momentum after winning three games in a row. We gained a lot of respect for that team after they won game one."

Cone has his hands full in the series in dealing with Air21's tall lineup.

"We're a big lineup team ourselves, and we adjust to that," said Cone. "We're not used to seeing lineups bigger than us. And they're really versatile since their bigs can step outside and hit from the perimeter. I have to admit it was a real shock to our system and we really didn't know what to expect.

"They're a confident team at this point, and they're not going to back down," he said.

San Mig Coffee went to James Mays early and often in the first quarter, who tenderized the Express' interior defense to lead 17-11. Mac Cardona sparked Air21's offense to the tune of the team’s last nine points, but Air21 was unable still to solve their defensive woes inside, as they trailed 25-20 at the end of the period.


By the time the Mixers scored their first basket in the second at the 5:39 mark, the Express had caught up, 27-27, thanks to Asi Taulava's midrange scoring. Air21 fielded a taller lineup that gave San Mig Coffee fits when the latter tried to score, but Mays made them pay on second-chance scoring. San Mig Coffee then forced several turnovers to end the half, allowing Justin Melton and Mark Barroca to convert with ease. Ending the quarter on a 23-5 run, the Mixers erected a 50-34 lead.

The Express changed tactics in the third and tried to spread the floor with a smaller lineup, featuring Aldrech Ramos at center. But the Mixers didn't take the bait, and maintained their inside presence, while getting triples from James Yap and PJ Simon, 66-48.

Taulava reentered the game in the last four minutes and his team was close to holding the Mixers scoreless from the floor, until Melton hit a trey with 41 seconds left to give his team a 70-55 gap heading into the final period.

The Mixers led by as much as 20 points, 77-57, before the Express made their move. Led by a limping Sean Anthony and Taulava, Air21's hustle on both ends of the floor produced a 13-0 run, 77-70, drawing within single digits for the first time since the second quarter. But the Express couldn't finish the job as Anthony had to be subbed out, and San Mig Coffee recovered nicely, 82-73, on a Mays drive with three and a half minutes remaining.

San Mig Coffee extended their possessions by forcing turnovers and getting offensive rebounds, preventing Ai21 from summoning a final rally and changing the outcome.

The Mixers shot 31-of-72 (43.1 percent) from the field, while Air21 went 26-of-69 (37.7 percent). Three-pointers were an area of concern for the Express, as they went 3-of-24 (12.5 percent) with only Cardona making more than one trey.

Asi Taulava led his team with 21 points and 18 rebounds. Mac Cardona was the only other Express player in double-digit scoring with 20 points. Import Wesley Witherspoon settled for eight markers, six rebounds and four turnovers, due to a 3-of-13 clip from the floor. - AMD, GMA News



The scores:

SAN MIG COFFEE 82 - Mays 25, Simon 13, Melton 12, Devance 10, Pingris 6, Barroca 6, Yap 5, Sangalang 4, Reavis 1, Mallari 0

AIR21 75 - Taulava 21, Cardona 20, Yeo 9, Witherspoon 8, Anthony 8, Borboran 3, Villanueva 2, Ramos 2, Burtscher 2, Poligrates 0, Camson 0

Quarter scoring: 25-20, 50-34, 70-55, 82-75