PBA: Simon, Barroca lead San Mig to victory against Air21

The San Mig Mixers made key adjustments along the way to emerge victorious against thte Air21 Express, 84-73, in game three of the 2014 PBA Commissioner's Cup semifinals, Saturday, at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

PJ Simon notched 18 points and four assists, while Mark Barroca added 17 points and seven rebounds. James Mays had a relatively quiet outing with 15 points on 3-of-12 shooting, but made up for it with 32 monstrous rebounds, including 19 on the offensive end.

Coach Tim Cone said his team was challenged by the defensive scheming of the Express, which allowed them to catch up by the end of the third quarter. "Coach Franz [Pumaren] did a really good job of changing defenses on us and it confused us a bit, but we worked our way though it," he said. "It's a testament to [my team] who've worked their way through all kinds of problems."

Barroca and Justin Melton helped tidy things up in the fourth, as the Mixers created shots off the Express' turnovers and prevented them from making a final rally.

"They've been playing really well together," said Cone of his two guards. "Those guys have just been dominant when they're on the floor together. We didn't see it so much this conference, but now these guys are able to do it again."

Express forward Sean Anthony did not play tonight due to lingering issues with his Achilles tendon. He is expected to suit up for game four on Monday at Araneta.

"Without Anthony there, it puts a lot of pressure on [Wesley] Witherspoon to really carry the team, and we put our focus on him. But he still made shots and made things happen," said Cone. "Anthony really changes the game for them. He keys their defense, he keys their hustle on the boards, and he's a threat on both sides."

The Mixers controlled the first quarter with balanced scoring from PJ Simon, James Mays, Joe Devance and James Yap. In contrast, the Express couldn't create any ideal spacing nor exploit matchups on their end of the floor, and fell behind after the period, 24-15.

Air21 regrouped in the second quarter, relying on Wes Witherspoon's dribble penetration during a 10-4 run, trailing 28-25. But San Mig Coffee was difficult to contain down low, as Mays gobbled up offensive rebounds for putbacks. The Mixers went on a 21-12 run, scoring everything in the paint or from the charity stripe in the last seven minutes, before Eliud Poligrates nailed a triple before halftime to keep the score within single digits. At the break, San Mig Coffee were ahead, 49-40.

San Mig Coffee led the Express on the boards at halftime, 29-8.


The lead swelled to as much as 13 points early in the third, 58-45, before Air21 cleaned up their defense. While holding the Mixers to one field goal during a nine-minute span, Aldrech Ramos and Asi Taulava combined for 12 in a 14-3 rally. Mercifully, Mark Barroca drained a trey with under 30 seconds left to end San Mig Coffee's drought, and his team carried a 64-59 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Barroca took charge at the start of the final frame as he and Justin Melton deflated the Express by scoring off turnovers. The guards tallied nine points during a 14-6 spell, pushing the lead to 78-65 with under five minutes left.

Taulava converted an and-one to give Air21 a breather, but the Mixers' active hands kept them from getting into a rhythm. Barroca replied with a layup, and a few possesions later, Marc Pingris drove baseline for a wide-open dunk, 82-68, with two minutes left on the clock. With enough ground between themselves and the Express, San Mig Coffee cruised to their second straight win in the series.

The Mixers shot 30-of-76 (39.5 percent) from the field and 20-of-27 (74.1 percent) from the line. The Express had fewer scoring opportunities, going 26-of-59 (44.1 percent) from the floor and 16-of-22 (72.7 percent) from the charity stripe.

San Mig Coffee dominated the glass with a 54-26 rebounding spread, including 27-6 offensive.

Asi Taulava led his team with 21 points and eight rebounds. Wesley Witherspoon put up 19 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals. Aldrech Ramos added 10 points and five rebounds. - RAF, GMA News


The scores:

SAN MIG COFFEE 84 - Simon 18, Barroca 17, Mays 15, Devance 9, Pingris 7, Melton 6, Yap 6, Reavis 4, Sangalang 2, De Ocampo 0, Gaco 0, Mallari 0

AIR21 73 - Taulava 21, Witherspoon 19, Ramos 10, Yeo 6, Burtscher 5, Cardona 4, Borboran 3, Poligrates 3, Villanueva 2, Jaime 0, Menor 0, Atkins 0

Quarter scores: 24-15, 49-40, 64-59, 84-73