San Miguel-Pilipinas end Serbia trip in defeat; Lions win 86-79

The San Miguel-Pilipinas squad ended its trip to Belgrade, Serbia, with a defeat at the hands of Swisslion Takovo Lions, 86-79, in a game played in Vrsac, a small town 80 kilometers from the Serbian capital. Playing with only nine men in uniform, and coming off a 90-minute bus travel, the nationals started sluggishly and fell behind immediately, 16-7 against the Lions, according to a team statement Wednesday. Jimmy Alapag, Mark Caguioa, Gabe Norwood, Kerby Raymundo, and Asi Taulava tried to keep pace, but the starting unit of veterans 6'3 point guard Milos Kasabasic, 6'5 shooting guard Vladimir Vlaskovic, 6'6 Nikolai Gacie, 6'9 power forward Danilo Mijanovic, and 6'10 center Dalibor Djapa would not budge. Particularly unstoppable was their top player Mijanovic, a strong left-handed inside player with a deadly 3-point touch. Together with center Djapa, they hit six 3-pointers between them as each scored 16 points in the first half. Only Caguioa and Mick Pennisi made shots in the 1st quarter before Ranidel de Ocampo hit a three-pointer as time expired, with the Nationals trailing 28-21. The Nationals made a little run at the start of the second quarter as Jayjay Helterbrand and Renren Ritualo hit a couple of threes, but again Mianovic and Djapa came to the rescue to thwart the Nationals' rally. Hampered by the absence of Tony dela Cruz, Danny Seigle, and Dondon Hontiveros who twisted his ankle in the last game, the Nationals failed to mount pressing defenses, falling into zones instead to preserve some energy. Unfortunately the Lions waxed hot from deep, with Vlaskovic and Kasabasic each hitting two triples to hike their lead to 57-42 at halftime. At the break, the Nationals talked about not giving up, as there were 20 minutes left in the game. Adjustments were made in their zone and ball screen defense to take away their foes' 3-point shots. The adjustments worked, as the Lions suddenly could not find the basket. These allowed the Nationals to get their running game going. The Nationals were also able to spring different traps, thereby disrupting the Lions' rhythm, so much so that they only scored eight points in the 3rd quarter. Ritualo and Jayjay continued to hit from the outside, but it was the inspired games of Raymundo and De Ocampo that allowed the Nationals to get close at the end of the third quarter, 65-59. The final period saw Taulava dominating the paint – blocking shots, rebounding, and scoring on a variety of moves – as the Nationals made their final push. And somehow Swisslion was threatened as Djapa and Kasabasic both got into foul trouble. With Djapa out, Taulava and Raymundo did damage inside as the Nationals came to within four, 67-63, before time ran out. "This was a great trip. Grabe and laro dito. Ito ang tunay na basketball," said Caguioa. "We all know the NBA is part entertainment. Dito, buhay nila ang basketball. I learned so much in our stay here." "Coach Vlade made us go through hell here, and we appreciate it. I think we really improved in this trip, both in our game, and in our conditioning. We are now getting in FIBA shape, not PBA shape. I'm now 266 lbs - first time I broke 270 since we began on March 12 when I was around 280," said Taulava. "And dali ng basketbol pag ganito ang nilalaro natin. Grabe ang ikot ng bola. Lahat gumagalaw. Ang lalaki ng kinalaban natin dito, pero di tayo tinambakan," Raymundo said. Scores: SWISSLION TAKOVO, 86: Mijanovic 26, Kasabasic 19, Djapa 16, Vlaskovic 14, Gacie 6, Mikic 5, Anastasov 0, Keri 0, Bugarin 0, Malovic 0. SMC-PILIPINAS, 79: Pennisi 15, Taulava 14, Helterbrand 14, Caguioa 12, De Ocampo 9, Ritualo 7, Raymundo 6, Norwood 2, Alapag 0. Quarters: 21-28; 42-57; 59-65; 79-86. - GMANews.TV.