Hontiveros on fire as SMB now a win away from quarterfinals
Sunday, 28 December 2008
SEEMINGLY coasting along, San Miguel Beer suddenly found itself direly threatened.
Good thing there was a pair of old hands in Dondon Hontiveros and Olsen Racela giving them back their bearings.
Hontiveros scattered eight of his game-high 24 points and Racela all five of his points in the fourth quarter to lift the Beermen past the gritty Coca-Cola Tigers 99-89 Sunday in the KFC PBA Philippine Cup wildcard phase at the Araneta Coliseum.
Those shots enabled SMB to fend off Cokes fight-back from two 21-point deficits in the third quarter and keep alive its bid of making the best-of-three quarterfinals as the last qualifier.
This is somehow the path God allowed us to be in, said SMB coach Siot Tanquingcen, whose powerhouse team was a pre-tournament favorite but wound up in the wildcard after finishing the eliminations at sixth.
We just have to make sure we do our best, put in all our efforts dahil ang results darating yun, he added. We just have to play with the talent we have and let the chips fall as they may.
The Beermen next takes on the winner of the other wildcard pairing between Purefoods and Air21.
Tanquingcen said his team is up for more anxious moments against either the Giants or Express.
Against Purefoods you have to deal with James (Yap), Kerby (Raymundo), Rico (Villanueva). Sa Air21 naman, you have to deal with everybody, including yung dalawang bago nila (Cyrus Baguio and Celino Cruz), he pointed out.
Tanquingcen was just glad the Coke business is over with.
Given up for dead by many after trailing by 44-65 and 47-68, Coke managed to muster one big gasp that put it within 71-78, still 9:30 to go.
Then following a Jay Washington charity, Hontiveros strung up three straight baskets to help give his team more breathing room 87-71.
Asi Taulava, back in action after fracturing his left middle finger Dec. 7, led his team back to within 79-87, but a triple and an elbow jumper by the 38-year-old Racela, followed by a Mick Pennisi triple, made it a safer 95-83 game, only 2:23 left.
Taulava wound up with 20 points and 13 rebounds while Mark Telan added 12 and 13.
Coke was the second team to be eliminated after Red Bull, bowing out of the tournament with interim head coach Kenneth Duremdes winding up his first tournament as tactician with a 6-9 win-loss slate.
The way Coke fought back and gave his team fits impressed Tanquingcen, more so since the Tigers missed their other injured frontliner, Nic Belasco, out with a broken right foot.
As Ive said before, theres no pushover team in this tournament and that speaks well for the league, said Tanquingcen. Were just fortunate na out pa rin si Nic. Mas mahirap kung kumpleto sila.
The victory was a far cry from the one expected after SMB pounced on Cokes field shooting woes that saw the Tigers limp home with a 26-of-76 clip to SMBs 34-of-78.
Danny Seigle wound up in double figures for the first time in the tournament with 16 points, nine of them in the third period that SMB used to steadily pad a 52-38 halftime lead.
But just when SMB seemed all set to put the game away, Coke came charging back.
The Tigers, aided by the Beermen making only three field goals in the last 4:16 of the third period, came charging back to whittle the deficit from as much as 47-68 to just 62-75 after three quarters.
Coke even made it a very manageable 71-78 on Telans charity, 9:30 left, before its shooting woes returned. (NCo)
The scores:
San Miguel Beer 99 - Hontiveros 24, Seigle 16, Tugade 15, Pena 14, Custodio 9, Washington 9, Pennisi 6, Racela 5, Villanueva 1, Baguion 0.
Coca-Cola 89 - Taulava 20, Buenafe 15, Telan 12, Calimag 11, Cabagnot 9, Macapagal 8, Sanots 8, Catli 3, Arigo 3, Dimaunahan 0, Misolas 0.
Quarterscores: 32-22, 52-38, 75-62, 99-89.
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