Strong finish pushes Petron to 1-0 edge
MARK Barroca of SanMig Coffee puts up a shot against Petron’s Alex Cabagnot (left) and June Mar Fajardo. RODEL ROTONI
LETTING it all hang out in the fourth period, Petron Blaze showed what powerhouses are really made of.
After blowing early control, the Boosters dropped 41 points in the payoff frame and blew San Mig Coffee off the floor, 100-84, last night for a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven PBA Governors’ Cup finals series at Mall of Asia Arena.
Import Elijah Millsap, Chris Lutz and Marcio Lassiter led the breakaway, combining for 33 points in that stretch—10 more than what the entire San Mig crew scored—for the all-important head start.
“We’re very happy about this win. I thought we played a great fourth quarter,” rookie Petron coach Gee Abanilla said later. “Though this (win) boosts out confidence, we know that it will be a long series.”
Millsap finished with 35 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his—and the conference’s—third triple-double, with Abanilla getting twin digits from five locals led by prime Best Player of the Conference bet Arwind Santos, who had 16.
The Boosters opened up the fourth with seven unanswered points, easily erasing a 59-61 deficit before scooting away and beating the Mixers more handily this time.
“They got going with their three-pointers (in the fourth),” San Mig coach Tim Cone said. “We broke down early in the fourth and let them get on a run.”
Lutz drilled in three triples, Lassiter had two and Millsap and Alex Cabagnot had one each as the Petron baskets from that distance totaled 21.
“I still don’t know (why we played so well in the fourth),” Abanilla said. “I’m surprised also.”
Meanwhile, Air21 won the lottery for the No. 1 pick yesterday, and made Barangay Ginebra happy with the Kings getting the top choice in one of the deepest pools in recent memory. The Express owned the natural choice but dealt it away to the Kings as part of the Niño Canaleta-John Wilson for Elmer Espiritu trade a couple of years ago.
Globalport settled for second overall, with its rights ceded to San Mig Coffee as part of the Josh Urbiztondo trade.
This will be the first time since 1996, when the Kings selected 6-foot-9 center Marlou Aquino, that Ginebra will earn first crack at the Draft.
Meanwhile, Gary David, the 35-year-old scoring dynamo who’s still without a PBA championship, and Filipino-American rookie guard AJ Mandani were traded by Globalport to Meralco yesterday in exchange for two point guards and second-round draft rights in 2016-2017.
The scores:
PETRON BLAZE 100—Millsap 35, Santos 16, Fajardo 12, Lassiter 12, Lutz 11, Cabagnot 10, Miranda 2, Tubid 2, Kramer 0.
SAN MIG COFFEE 84—Blakely 23, Pingris 16, Simon 13, Devance 10, Yap 8, Barroca 6, De Ocampo 4, Mallari 2, Reavis 2, Acuña 0.
Quarters: 23-18, 41-36, 59-61, 100-84
