Facing elimination for the third time in two weeks, Air21 did what it has been good at of late — survive.

Wesley Witherspoon awakened the Air21 offense and the Express played a lot better defense on Monday night to scuttle San Mig Coffee, 94-91, and seal a rubber match in their Final Four series in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.

Witherspoon, who came into the game averaging a mediocre 17 points, hit 8-of-14 three-point shots and finished with 32, and the entire local lineup of the Express responded as Air21 knotted the series at 2-all to advance to yet another KO game.

Game 5 – the winner of which will advance to face Talk ‘N Text in another best-of-five series for the title – will be Wednesday at 8 p.m. also at the fabled Big Dome.

The Tropang Texters, after a 3-0 sweep of Rain or Shine in their side of the Final Four, have been cooling their heels and will have a total of a week’s rest by the time the title series starts on Friday night.

“I have been very hard on him lately,” Air21 coach Franz Pumaren said of Witherspoon, who was even held down to eight points in a Game 2 loss. “But tonight, the guy showed his character. He showed everyone what he can do.”

The reedy Air21 import hit five triples in the first half – where Air21 actually dropped nine as a team – as the Express played with command practically from the start.

The three-point victory did not show how much control the Express had of the Mixers in the game. Air21, after opening up a 94-77 lead with just over two minutes left, practically gave away four triples to San Mig Coffee.

“This is a new thing for some of my players,” Pumaren said of the rubber match. “For San Mig, they have been in this situation a lot. We will just have to stay aggressive (in Game 5).”

Air21 has faced elimination twice before Monday night, and won both of them, against San Miguel Beer which owned a twice-to-beat privilege against the Express.

Asi Taulava made sure that there will be no San Mig domination of the boards like in Game 3, more than holding his own against James Mays and the Mixers’ frontline underneath.

In a lopsided loss on Saturday, Mays came up with 32 rebounds – six more than the entire Air21 total – with 19 of them off the offensive glass. Those 19 offensive rebounds were just one shy of the all-time mark held by Michael Hackett of Ginebra San Miguel.

The Express lost the rebounding battle by just one in Game 4.

Joseph Yeo tossed in 13 points, Taulava had 12 and 14 rebounds and Mac Cardona shot all of his 11 in the fourth period that helped put the Mixers away.

Air21 also drained a total of 15 triples – two more than its previous franchise best – as they obviously have momentum going into the decider.

Witherspoon already had 21 points after the first half, and Air21, held to a 74-point average in the last two San Mig wins, hit that mark with still 10:44 to go when Cardona made a triple to open up a nine-point lead.

Witherspoon then split his charities off Joe Devance and Cardona made another trey as the Express started scooting away before taking their first 17-point bubble, 90-73 with 4:33 left after two Simon Atkins charities.

An interested spectator was Marqus Blakely, San Mig’s import in the Governors’ Cup last season who flew in for another tour of duty with the Mixers.

Blakely won the Best Import award last season while leading the Mixers to the title.