Petron Blaze gets 1-0 start vs San Mig Coffee in PBA finals, 100-84

Elijah Millsap of Petron (light) vs MArc Pingris San Mig Coffee (dark).

MANILA, Philippines — Petron Blaze exploded in the payoff period to rout San Mig Coffee, 100-84,  in game one of the finals Friday night at Mall of Asia Arena for a headstart in the best-of-seven series of 2013 PBA Govenors’ Cup.

The Boosters carried on their conference-long dominance to the finals and unleashed 41 big points in the fourth quarter alone against the Mixers’ 23.

Facing a two-point deficit at the turn of the third quarter, Petron’s offense just broke loose as the Boosters started connecting on triples. They had six triples the fourth.

“We’re very happy about this win. We played big in the fourth quarter,” said head coach Gee Abanilla after the game.

Two of those treys down the stretch, courtesy of Alex Cabagnot and Chris Lutz, were off dimes from Elijah Milsap, which completes another triple double from the Petron import.

Milsap had 35 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Boosters, who are seeking their 20th overall title.

“We know it was going to be a tough series. San Mig Coffee play so hard. We just got into our rhythm,” Milsap said in an interview.

Game two is on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum with the Mixers getting a chance to even the series.

After a sluggish start, San Mig Coffee managed to pick up the pace and even took the lead on a bucket from PJ Simon, 61-59, after three period.

But the Mixers, who only had a pair of triples in the game, just broke down midway into the fourth and allowed Petron to roll past them.

Marqus Blakely had 23 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, three steals, two blocks for San Mig. Marc Pingris added 16 markers.

First posted 10:14 pm | Friday, October 11th, 2013