MANILA, 8 November 2005 — Barangay Ginebra coach Siot Tangquincen thought his team defended well to score a 93-83 victory over the Air21 Express Sunday night in the San Mig Coffee 2005 PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum.
Perhaps they’re trying to defend their hair, too.
The Talk ‘N Text Phone Pals, playing against the Alaska Aces, showed up bald after losing to the Express in their previous game.
“Mark (Caguioa) sacrificed his offense to focus on Ren-Ren at the other end,” said Tangquincen.”Rommel (Adducul) also did a good job against (Shawn) Daniels.” Ritualo, who continued to sink at least a three-pointer in every game this season, finished with only 14 points on 5-of-20 shooting (25%).
The Kings, starring Eric Menk, seized control early and doused the repeated rallies of the Express to post their fourth straight win and sixth in nine games. They’re undefeated in four games with Menk back on their fold. Menk finished with 17 points and 17 rebounds for his second straight double-double.
The Express trimmed the gap to 76-84 with 4:48 to go and had several chances to come closer down the stretch, but the Kings made some crucial defensive gems. Sean Lampley swatted away a fastbreak by Wynne Arboleda, which could have pulled the Express to within six. Ronald Tubid also had a shot to cut the deficit to six, but couldn’t find the basket in the middle of the Kings’ towers inside the paint.
“We know that the (Express) love to play open court basketball that’s why I emphasized defense in our game plan,” said Tangquincen.
With their big men at work, the Kings virtually made the shaded lane their kingdom in the first half. They led 57-43 at the turn with Menk and Adducul combining for 20 points and 14 rebounds. The Express offered some resistance through their outside shooting, converting 6-of-13 tries from beyond the arc. The Kings went 0-of-2 from downtown in the first half.
John Ferriols led the Express with a conference-high 22 points, while Daniels had 21 markers. Ritualo was the only other local to score in double figures with 14.
In the second game, the Phone Pals spit venom on the Alaska Aces and hacked out an emphatic 101-79 victory to gain a share of the lead with the Purefoods Chunkee Giants halfway through the qualification round of the Xtreme Magic Sing-backed tourney.
They went bald and made a bold move, denying the Aces what could have been the longest streak — five straight wins — of the young season. Talk n Text tied Purefoods atop the heap at 6-2 while Alaska slid to fourth place at 5-3. Curiously, the Phone Pals, the Giants and the Aces are three teams which have made a four-game run in the tourney.
“The boys felt bad with our loss to Air21. They bonded themselves and wanted to come out strong tonight,” said Talk n Text coach Joel Banal.
“That’s a good sign and I welcome it anytime.”
In a big turnaround from a struggling game versus Air21, Talk n Text got off to a strong start and sustained the heat up to the finish for the lopsided victory in the game expected by many to be a slam-bang duel.
Instead, the Phone Pals ripped the game apart right in the first half, taking a 22-13 lead at the end of the first quarter and a 45-24 cushion at halftime.
