MANILA: Affirmed, and with a lot more to spare.
San Miguel turned its much-anticipated rematch with Air21 into a sleeper as early as the second quarter last night, cruising to a 98-78 victory as the Beermen snapped a three-game losing streak in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Beermen took the fight out of the game Express after warming up in the first 12 minutes, holding Air21 to just nine points in the second period that turned a six-point lead into a 22-point advantage at the half.
San Miguel would never look back from there and climbed to 8-4 overall to stay in second spot, while dealing the Express their first loss in four games and second consecutive defeat in its hands since that disputed 130-128 double overtime win.
And ironic as it may seem, coach Siot Tanquingcen said that they never used that controversy as a rallying point for his team.
“We did not even talk about it,” Tanquingcen later told reporters, when asked whether he used their double overtime victory in the first round as a motivational tool. “This was the first time that we didn’t talk of an opponent as much as we used to.
“The motivation wasn’t really the opponent, but what we have to do to play the game the way it was supposed to be played,” he added. “When we came out of the dugout, we were not actually looking to win but to just do the right things.”
Interestingly enough, the league’s board of governors upheld commissioner Renauld Barrios’ decision junking Air21’s protest of that San Miguel victory just five hours before the game, though Air21 team manager Lito Alvarez said that he will elevate the matter to the Games and Amusements Board, the government body that oversees professional sports in the Philippines.
Jay Washington dropped 21 points and collared 15 rebounds to go within six assists and three others turned in 10 points or more in a balanced attack for San Miguel, which clashes with Talk ‘N Text in Singapore on Sunday.
In the second game, Talk ‘N Text evened its slate to 6-6 with a surprisingly easy 104-82 victory over defending champion Sta. Lucia.
The Tropang Texters also used a hot start to repulse the Realtors, who welcomed back point guard Ryan Reyes but who all could do nothing against the suddenly inspired play of Talk ‘N Text.
It was a great way for the Texters to bounce back after being blown off the court by Alaska on Saturday, 113-86, which had team owner Manny V. Pangilinan going home even before the halftime horn.
And coach Chot Reyes also said that he put that game behind him.
“On the contrary, I didn’t say anything to the team,’ Reyes said. “I actually even apologized to the players for not preparing them well enough against Alaska .
“Fortunately for us today, we were able to recover,” he continued. “It is within this team to play this way, our challenge is just to find the willingness to do so.”
Starting off-guard Mac Cardona scored 27 points in 28 minutes and Jimmy Alapag tossed in 10 of his 23 points in the first quarter as both jumpstarted the Talk ‘N Text offense to eventually deal the Realtors their sixth loss in 12 games. Reyes, who missed the last five Sta. Lucia games because of a bad back, tossed in 12 points. But Sta. Lucia was never really in the game, especially after the Texters erected a 56-41 spread at the break. Kelly Williams, the reigning MVP, drilled in 15 points, but he was scoreless in the middle two quarters when the Texters broke away.
Meanwhile, Barangay Ginebra and Coca-Cola, squads with two-game winning streaks and itching to pierce the upper half of the standings, clash today in a road game at the Olivarez Center in Paranaque.
