MANILA, 14 March 2003 — Vergel Meneses and Jerry Codinera came up big when it mattered the most and led FedEx, a team that’s just on its second year, to their first victory, 90-86, on Wednesday night in the Samsung Philippine Basketball Association All-Filipino Cup at the PhilSports Arena.

Meneses made it retro night in front of an audience that included 200 students from the Olongapo National High School as he drove past a phalanx of defenders for a trademark acrobatic shot that gave the Express an 88-86 lead. Then, with 11 ticks to play, he buried a long jumper against a tough challenge put up by Rey Evangelista to ice scoring.

“Finally, we got over the hump,” sighed FedEx coach Derrick Pumaren. Meneses couldn’t have picked a fine time to recapture his form as the Express entered the game with the only winless record in the league.

“Coming off two losses, we couldn’t afford to miss our chances, so we really had to play hard,” added 15-year veteran Jerry Codinera, who also came up big last night. The 36-year-old center had 11 points and six rebounds and anchored a FedEx defense that held Purefoods scoreless in the last 1:48.

After the two had fans walking down memory lane, Red Bull’s ‘young turks’ forwarded time to the present, helping the Thunder overcome a shaky start and whipping Sta. Lucia Realty, 92-83, in the second game, which wasn’t as close as the final score projected.

The Thunder, who trailed by 12 early in the first quarter, pounced on the absence of Kenneth Duremdes to not only make a strong comeback but also put a little emphasis on the win. Duremdes was out on a sprained left ankle. “It feels good to get this victory,” said Davonn Harp, who led the Thunder with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Lordy Tugade and Homer Se, who played only in the second half, had 13 each. Se also added nine rebounds to his name.

Meanwhile, the PBA board has decided to put up its own venue. This was bared on Wednesday by Sta. Lucia Realty’s PBA board representative Buddy Encarnado, who said the governors, in a meeting last Tuesday, unanimously agreed on a proposal by Commissioner Noli Eala to draw up plans for the construction of a new venue the league can call its own. The league had planned in the past to build its own venue but shelved it due to economic crunch.

At the same time, Eala has given the go-signal for IBC-13 to start its parallel broadcast with NBN-4 for the league’s games starting Sunday.

The Scores

FedEx 90 — Meneses 21, De Ocampo 16, Ritualo 11, Codinera 11, Yap 10, Ferriols 8, Billiones 6, Ortiguerra 5, Rodriguez 2, Ejercito 0, Arboleda 0. Purefoods 86 — Raymundo 14, Santos 13, Evangelista 12, Seigle 12, Castillo 10, Demape 10, Mamaril 8, Fernandez 3, Cantonjos 2, Patrimonio 2, Mesina 0.

Red Bull 92 — Harp 15, Se 13, Tugade 13, Pennisi 11, Miller 10, Torion 9, Hizon 7, Valenzuela 6, Villoria 5, Villanueva 3, Asaytono 0, Reyes 0. Sta. Lucia 83 — Adriano 22, Espino 19, Mendoza 13, Aquino 9, Tierra 7, Ong 5, Francisco 4, Yu 2, Bat-og 1, Victolero 1, Webb 0.