SMB, Coke in knockout match for PBA semis Sunday

After beating their respective opponents in contrasting fashion Friday, Coca-Cola and San Miguel Beer will meet Sunday in a knockout match for the last quarterfinals slot in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Fiesta Conference. The Coca-Cola Tigers, with new import Rashad Bell, survived a wildcard game with the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants, 100-97. The Beermen made short work of the Sta. Lucia Realtors, 102-85, in the first game. Both teams, which found hot imports in Bell (Coke) and Galen Young (SMB), will battle for the right to face the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the quarterfinal round. In Friday night's game, Bell, playing in only his second game in the PBA, scored a season-high 45 points, including all but four of Coca-Cola’s final 17 points in the contest. Purefoods forward James Carlos Yap had 40 points but missed crucial shots at endgame. The Giants, runners-up in this conference last year, ended up eighth place, just ahead Realtors and the Welcoat Dragons. Marquin Chandler, the reigning Best Import awardee, committed eight turnovers in the game, two more than what the entire Coke team got. In the first game, SMB's Christian Calaguio knocked down crucial three-point shots to keep the Realtors at bay, and help SMB pull away in the third quarter. The game was tense until Calaguio's trey sparked an SMB closing 18-7 run in the third quarter. Before that, the Realtors were rallying from a 15-point deficit in the second quarter. - GMANews.TV