MANILA, 26 October 2006 — It was a great game in every sense, and fittingly enough, it almost did not end. Purefoods, down by 20 early and severely undersized compared to Talk ‘N Text, got everything to work at the right time last night to carve out a 109-103 triple overtime victory over the Phone Pals in the eliminations of the PBA Philippine Cup.
Marc Pingris, a gem of a defensive man, hit three crucial points in the third extension aside from coming up with the block of the game that preserved the win for the defending champion Chunkee Giants at the Araneta Coliseum.
Even assistant coach Koy Banal of Purefoods almost fainted because of exhaustion and players sniffed at oxygen tanks during breaks in the longest game in the league since Red Bull tripped Sta. Lucia exactly two years ago today.
Kery Raymundo topscored for the Chunkee Giants with 31 after seeing action in an all-time record 61 minutes.
But it was not all roses for the former Colegio de San Juan de Letran ace in the NCAA, as he almost cost the Giants the game as early as the first overtime by hogging the ball and taking teammate James Yap out of the offensive rotation. He made up for it, though by nailing two free throws off Asi Taulava’s final foul with 26 seconds left in the second extension, forging a 99-99 tie to necessitate a third five-minute extension.
Raymundo also took out Don Allado by picking the Talk ‘N Text forward’s last foul and completing a three-point play in Purefoods’ first possession of the third overtime which shoved the Giants to a 102-99 lead. It was the second straight victory for the Giants, who, at a level 3-3, are suddenly showing fine form after opening up with two straight losses against lightly-regarded squads. The loss was the second in six games for the Phone Pals, who dropped out of the lead after blowing a 38-18 advantage in the second period and looking primed to steamroller Purefoods.
Meanwhile, Barangay Ginebra tries to bounce back from a two-game losing streak and one of the most painful losses in the tournament when the Gin Kings slug it out with Coca-Cola at the Josefina Albano Sports and Cultural Center in Cabagan, Isabela today. Game time is 6 p.m. with the Kings coming into the game still licking the wounds of a 101-97 overtime loss to sister team San Miguel at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay on Sunday. Sta. Lucia later regained the solo lead as a result of the Talk ‘N Text loss and an easy 105-83 bombardment of the listless Red Bull squad in the second game. Paolo Mendoza and Kenneth Duremdes scored almost at will from the perimeter and Marlou Aquino was so pumped up that he finished breaks several times to lead the Realtors to their fourth win in five games. The victory also showed the character now prevalent in the squad, as it came back with aplomb from its first loss, 100-96, to the Giants in San Fernando just last Saturday.
Red Bull, which played for the first time in six seasons without gunslinger Lordy Tugade, dropped to 3-2, but more alarmingly, it showed how short-handed this team could be with no one in the roster stepping up.
The Phone Pals actually regained the lead at 103-102 after two inside incursions by sophomore forward Mac Cardona heading into the final 3:51. And after a series of misses from both squads, Roger Yap broke the spell with a long two-pointer with 1:58 left to put Purefoods on the driver’s seat to stay, before Jimmy Alapag and Donbel Belano missed triple attempts each. That paved the way for the Pingris short stab for 106-103, before anchoring the Giants’ defense on the other end by blocking Cardona and forcing a turnover. Taulava, who finished with 21 points before fouling out, forced the first overtime at 81-81 with four straight points, but missed an ill-advised turnaround with plenty of time on the clock which could have shattered an 88-88 tie for the second overtime.
