Air21 off to auspicious start in PBA Commissioner’s Cup

MANILA: One thing was made perfectly clear on Air21 import Herve Lamizana in his first game on Philippine soil.
And it was made known to him in quite a hard way by coach Franz Pumaren.
“It’s a good thing that he stepped up for us in the second half,” Pumaren told reporters, minutes after an 83-78 victory over Globalport that gave the Express an auspicious PBA Commissioner’s Cup debut Wednesday night at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“I was brutally frank with him during the halftime break,” Pumaren said. “I told him that this is an import-flavored conference, and imports like him should dominate. I’m glad he responded.”
Lamizana, considered as one of the lesser lights in the current crop of reinforcements, scored just two points in the first two quarters before coming out of the halftime lull to prove himself and gift the Express with a win.
He scored 16 points in the third period and had the most crucial basket of the night that came at the final 1:22 mark as his tight reverse layup off a drive gave the Express a 79-78 lead which they never lost.
“You just don’t look at the performance of an import in the first half and then judge – though he was terrible,” Pumaren said when asked if his import’s first game performance would be enough to cement his place in the team.
“We play again on Saturday, against a very tough team in Talk 'N Text,” he said. “If he gets in shape fast, I’m sure he will be a very good import for us. But we still have to see.”
The Air21 defense also did its job as it held the Batang Pier scoreless in the final 1:38 when Evan Brock, their hard-working import, gave Globalport a 78-77 lead after a free throw off Asi Taulava.
In the second game, Talk 'N Text took command in the second quarter to beat Alaska, 85-72, making the Aces open up defense of their title on a sour note.
Ranidel de Ocampo fired 21 points to pace the Tropang Texters, with import Richard Howell shooting 15 while grabbing a night-high 30 rebounds.
Robert Dozier scattered 16 for the Aces.
Joseph Yeo scored 21 points, the 40-year-old Taulava finished with 14 and Mac Cardona accounted for 11 for the Express, who were eliminated in the Philippine Cup together with Meralco and are itching to make the playoffs this time.
Brock was a dominating presence for the Batang Pier, finishing with 28 points and 26 rebounds. Still, he couldn’t save Globalport from losing its first game under new head coach Pido Jarencio and with new all-star guard Alex Cabagnot.
Cabagnot, who was traded by San Miguel Beer for Sol Mercado three weeks before opening, struggled to shoot just four points in 41 minutes. He did have eight assists, though, but it was clear that he was still trying to feel his teammates the whole game.
The 6-foot Cabagnot was 0-for-4 from three-point range, with his last two misses coming inside the final 30 seconds.
Another star that struggled for Jarencio was Jay Washington, who had just nine points on nine attempts.
In the Philippine Cup, the 6-foot-7 forward tossed in an average of a shade over 19 points a night that went with 9.9 rebounds to make it as one of the five candidates for the Best Player of the Conference award won by Petron Blaze/San Miguel Beer’s June Mar Fajardo.
Chua was the only local to finish in twin digits for Jarencio with 10, with rookie Terrence Romeo, who has had a 34-point explosion in the Philippine Cup, shooting just three.