PBA: Express bounce back, trump Batang Pier

The Air21 Express soared over GlobalPort Batang Pier, 106-102, in the 2014 PBA Governors' Cup, Wednesday at the Philsports Arena.

Dominique Sutton stuffed the stats sheet with 28 points, 20 rebounds, six assists and three steals. Asi Taulava added 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Jonas Villanueva tallied 15 points, while Joseph Yeo put up 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Leaning on clutch play from Dior Lowhorn and Alex Cabagnot, GlobalPort went on a 13-7 run to put themselves in a position to win the ball game, trailing 100-99, with under a minute left. But Asi Taulava, playing through a deep gash above his left eye, stayed active on the offensive glass and made crucial plays to keep the Express on top.

Coach Franz Pumaren was effusive with his praise for his squad after the game. "Kudos to my family, to my team, my players in spite of us playing tired we were able to suck it up," he said.

"I think this game was meant for us," Pumaren added, noting that a semblance of luck compensated for the injury that Taulava sustained. "Just imagine the loose ball rebounds, the taps that went to the hands of Asi Taulava. It compensated for what happened to us–he'll be getting seven to 10 stitches but he'll be okay."

Air21 (5-3) ties Rain or Shine at third place in the standings. The Express try to secure a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals in their match against San Mig Coffee (5-2) on Saturday. GlobalPort (1-7) has lost six straight and were eliminated from the playoff race. They will end their conference run with a match versus Meralco (2-6) on the same day.

"I love this team right now, they were able to hang tough," said Pumaren. "We were able to stay on course which was a good thing for us, but we have to prepare for Saturday's game. We have to come out much better and with more energy."

The Express toyed with GlobalPort, as Joseph Yeo scored seven among 15 unanswered points to start the game. Batang Pier struggled to move the ball on offense, getting pull-up three-pointers from Alex Cabagnot and Jay Washington to put points on the board. The triples added up to a 13-4 run in the last 3:25 for GlobalPort, though they still trailed, 29-20.


Air21 brought the lead up to 38-22 off an Eric Camson putback, but GlobalPort battled back with 10 unanswered points to make it a six-point game. Asi Taulava had to sit after suffering a cut above his left eye, but Dominique Sutton towed the Express to a strong finish. Sutton's powerful drives ensured that Batang Pier stayed at least two possessions behind, and gave the Express a 55-47 halftime lead.

Batang Pier hustled for points to start the second half, scoring either on the break or off offensive rebounds. However, Air21 was able to continue trading baskets by finding Sutton or their spot up shooters. GlobalPort couldn't create stops until late, as a Washington block led to a Cabagnot and-one on the break to highlight a 13-5 swing to end the quarter still down 78-75.

Washington scored five of seven unanswered to start the fourth, 82-78. However, Jonas Villanueva stepped up to help Sutton overhaul the deficit with a 15-4 run, 93-86. Though Washington fouled out, Lowhorn and Cabagnot chipped away at the lead to make it a three-point game with two minutes to play, 98-95, after a Cabagnot drive.

Air21, despite a strong offensive rebounding presence, was reeling after Taulava came away with consecutive splits from the line. Mark Macapagal drained a jumper with under a minute left, 100-99, putting pressure on the Express to respond. This time, Taulava converted from the block and forced Batang Pier to call a timeout with 23 seconds left. GlobalPort failed to respond as Ronjay Buenafe missed a trey, and they intentionally fouled Jonas Villanueva. The Express guard made both charities, 104-99, with 12.6 seconds left in the game.

Cabagnot hit a triple off a Batang Pier timeout, and his team tested Villanueva at the line anew. But Villanueva remained steady, 106-102, leaving six seconds left on the clock. Cabangot pushed the ball upcourt and missed the entire basket before time ran out.

Air21 went 38-of-85 (44.7 percent) from the floor, while GlobalPort was 38-of-80 (47.5 percent). The Express led 17-10 on second-chance points off a 20-11 discrepancy in offensive rebounds.

Dior Lowhorn led all scorers with 35 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. Alex Cabagnot tied Jay Washington with 19 points while adding eight rebounds, 10 assists and three steals. Ronjay Buenafe notched 16 points. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

AIR21 106 - Sutton 28, Taulava 17, Villanueva J.15, Yeo 13, Ramos 8, Atkins 6, Borboran 5, Poligrates 4, Cardona 4, Villanueva E. 2, Burtscher 2, Camson 2, Menor 0

GLOBALPORT 102 - Lowhorn 35, Cabagnot 19, Washington 19, Buenafe 16, Romeo 7, Macapagal 4, Menk 2, Yee 0, Lingganay 0, Hayes 0, Salvador 0, Garcia 0, Acuna 0

Quarter scoring: 29-20, 55-47, 78-75, 106-102