“It was one of those calls which are game-altering whether called or not,” Gregorio told reporters later. "We were lucky that it was called on Kerby's favor."
Kerby Raymundo hit the marginal free throw with 1.7 seconds left, when he was sent to the line by referee Raymundo Maurillo, who whistled Joe Devance for what looked like a call which he could have let go.
Even Alaska owner Wilfred Steven Uytengsu aired his disgust and sent Arab News the exact text message he sent to commissioner Sonny Barrios immediately after the game.
"I cannot condone Talk 'N Text's walkout (in the semifinals), but I can certainly feel their pain and point of view after that last call. It was most disappointing," Uytengsu said in the message to Barrios.
That call actually took the beauty of the game away as Purefoods rallied from 14 points down in the final 5:24 to hammer out the win.
"I am sure Purefoods is not happy with the win," Alaska team manager Joaqui Trillo said. "They, too, were disappointed with that call." Devance had actually tied the game for the last time with 5.4 seconds remaining with a split from the charity stripe as well, and all the Aces needed to do was play good defense after that to forge extension.
Coming out of a timeout, Raymundo received the inbounds pass from James Yap and faked Devance, who came into very slight contact with the airborne Raymundo that prompted Murillo to blow the whistle.
Raymundo made the first to break the tie and then deliberately missed the second as LA Tenorio snared the rebound but left the Aces with no more time on the clock.
Cone and the rest of the Alaska coaching staff then aired their protest at centercourt, hollering at the technical officials and the referees.
Yap led the Giants with 32 points, including two three-pointers when the Giants made their fightback from that 14-point deficit.
“We really fought hard to come back," Gregorio added. "We were down by 14 but we didn’t give up and kept on playing. We had a chance in the end and we grabbed the opportunity.” “We were able to weather the storm despite LA Tenorio’s shining moment. Brandon Cablay also played big but we didn’t let that affect us. That showed the mental stability we have in our team,” Gregorio added.
Alaska got off to a slow start but got the goods from its guards in a spirited second half performance that ultimately got the Aces enjoying a commanding 78-64 lead with 5:24 left.
And just when most everyone thought that the Giants would just roll over and die came a comeback to remember as Yap touched off the rally with those two triples that got Purefoods on its way.
Former MVP Willie Miller scored the bulk of his 12 points in the third quarter and brought Alaska back in the game before Tenorio and Cablay took turns in hitting big shots in the fourth period for that 14-point lead.
The thrilling ball game actually had one Alaska fan suffering a heart attack at courtside with under two minutes left, delaying the game slightly as league medics put the fan in a stretcher and took him to a nearby hospital.
Purefoods took a 48-38 lead at the half after making 50% of its shots in the first two periods.
Game 3 is set tomorrow also at the Big Dome.
The Purefoods defense was also a key factor in the first half, as the Giants forced the Aces to 15 turnovers.
