MANILA, 26 October 2003 — As expected, Red Bull cruised past Shell 91-81 and extended its winning streak to eight games on Friday night in the PBA Reinforced Conference at the Makati Coliseum.
Scott Burrell also stretched his undefeated stint in the league to eight, and stood at the helm when the Thunder tore the game wide open in the third period.
Burrell hit back-to-back 3-point baskets and added a field goal and two free throws as Red Bull took a 70-57 lead before coasting to the win.
The Barakos won for the 9th time against two losses, while the Turbo Chargers, already out of the quarterfinals, absorbed their 9th loss against three wins.
Reigning MVP Willie Miller and Mick Pennisi likewise stepped up in offense. Miller had 22 points on top of 4 rebounds and 4 assists while Pennisi had 15 points-11 in the third quarter-and 11 rebounds. Tugade hit three triples in the fourth period for a total of 11 points.
Lordy Tugade opened the fourth period with another triple, giving Red Bull its biggest lead at 73-57. Shell could only come closest at 82-75 with 2:35 left.
Miller completed a daring down-the-middle move, and Tugade once more sank a 3-point shot to finally put the game away 87-77.
In the second game, FedEx posted a convincing victory 109-85 over Sta. Lucia.
“We knew it was a do-or-die situation for us. We had some really good couple of practices going into this game,” said the long-limbed Terence Shannon, who unveiled a wide-array of dunks and left the game on a vow.
In one highlight reel play, Terrence Shannon cruised alone in transition, the Sta. Lucia defense having given up even before crossing the midcourt line, and elevated for a twisting windmill dunk.
Meanwhile, Asi Taulava beat Kerby Raymundo, 22-11, to advance into the semifinals of the 6-foot-4 and above division of the Purefoods-Ginebra one-on-one side event.
