PBA: San Mig Coffee turns it on in the second half, stuns GlobalPort with comeback

(Updated 10:18pm) After trailing by as much as 20 points, the San Mig Coffee Mixers found their groove in the second half to pull off a comeback and stun the GlobalPort Batang Pier, 92-82, Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Marqus Blakely led his team with 25 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, and six steals. PJ Simon added 24 points, including 19 in the second half. James Yap and Marc Pingris scattered 13 and 10 points and combined for eight rebounds.

It seemed like an improbable win for the Mixers, who found themselves down by 20 points in the second quarter against an uptempo Batang Pier team. But when San Mig Coffee stepped up defensively, they were able to contain the impact of GlobalPort’s new import, former Ginebra player, Dior Lowhorn and gather themselves from there.

"I wanna use the word sluggish, but that doesn't really explain what happened in the first half," said Mixers coach Tim Cone. "But we got some things going in the second half from James and PJ, and that just kinda carried over. They were very prepared and obviously we weren't, but our depth and our talent won this game for us. We wore them down a little bit and we just took it from there."

Cone said that partly he was to blame for a "soft" practice session heading into tonight, but he thanked his second group for getting it done defensively to will them to victory. "The guys did a good job bailing me out, and they're at that level where they can focus, stick to the basics and win the game from here on out," he said. However, Cone hoped that it wouldn't happen too frequently, explaining that poor starts by his first five creates undue pressure on the rest of the bench.


The Mixers (3-1) held Batang Pier to only six points in the first 10 minutes of the fourth quarter to win their second straight match. They now tie San Miguel and Air21 at second place. On the other hand, GlobalPort (1-3) remains stuck at seventh with Rain or Shine and Barako Bull.

Batang Pier ran circles around the Mixers in the first, scoring early and often to put up a double-digit lead midway through the quarter, 18-8. Dior Lowhorn dropped 12 markers in the quarter on San Mig Coffee, which couldn't execute in the half court.

At the end of the period, GlobalPort led 29-18.

The Mixers didn't get a bucket until midway through the second quarter, 36-21, on a PJ Simon drive. San Mig Coffee fell by as much as 20 points, 44-24, but began leaking out for transition makes during an 8-3 run. However, they came no closer and settled for a 51-34 halftime deficit.

PJ Simon sparked a 13-5 Mixers rally to start the second half, cutting the lead to single digits, 56-47. GlobalPort went back to Lowhorn on the block to answer the Mixers cutting around the basket. But as the import showed signs of fatigue, San Mig Coffee went on a 13-2 tear to close the last four minutes and slashed the deficit to one, 68-67.

GlobalPort regained a 72-69 lead early in the fourth, but San Mig Coffee sealed off the paint and began to pull away. The Mixers crashed the offensive glass, found any shot they wanted, and led by Marqus Blakely, staged a 15-2 run to establish a double-digit lead that they did not relinquish, 84-74, with 2:27 left to play.

The Mixers shot 37-of-82 (45.1 percent), while GlobalPort went 34-of-71 (47.9 percent). San Mig Coffee led in turnover points, 28-15, and took the upper hand a 14-27 turnover spread.

Dior Lowhorn had an impressive performance with 33 points and 16 rebounds. Jay Washington notched 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Alex Cabagnot tallied 12 points and eight assists, while Eric Menk logged 10 points and 10 rebounds. - AMD, GMA News




The scores:

SAN MIG COFFEE 92 - Simon 26, Blakely 25, Yap 13, Pingris 10, Devance 8, Sangalang 7, Barroca 3, Maliksi 0, Gaco 0, Holstein 0, Reavis 0, Melton 0

GLOBALPORT 82 - Lowhorn 33, Washington 16, Cabagnot 12, Menk 10, Matias 7, Romeo 4, Ponferada 0, Salva 0, Salvador 0, Garcia 0, Macapagal 0, Custodio 0

Quarter scoring: 18-29, 34-51, 67-68, 92-82