San Mig beats Petron, takes series lead in PBA finals

MANILA, Philippines — San Mig Coffee got its first taste of the lead in the finals with a 114-103 victory over Petron Sunday in the 2013 PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Mixers, after spending the first four games of this back-and-forth series playing catch up to the Boosters, took a step closer to the championship with a 3-2 advantage.

It was a torrid run late in the third quarter which created separation for the San Mig Coffee before PJ Simon and James Yap unleashed big shots to fend off Petron for good.

“The key tonight is just we hit shots. We’re not really a big shot team, but tonight we were,” said head coach Tim Cone, who’s also nearing a personal historic feat by inching closer to legendary Baby Dalupan’s 15th title.

Simon knocked down a triple off a kick-off pass from Mark Barroca to a 14-point lead, then Yap unloaded five straight to keep the game out of reach for the Boosters with two minutes to play.

“It’s great seeing James hit shot, I was more impressed with his defense down the stretch,” said Cone of his star.

After newly minted MVP Arwind Santos was called for a Flagrant Foul 1 with under nine to play in the third, the Mixers flipped the script with Barroca running the show.

Barroca scored all but three of his 22 points, including three triples, in the second and third quarters while doling out a career-best 10 assists.

San Mig Coffee goes for the clincher in game six scheduled on Wednesday at the same venue, while the Boosters try to keep on track after a strong start to this series.

Elijah Millsap had 37 markers and 14 rebounds but still couldn’t salvage Petron, while Santos stayed on a slump and struggled with just two points, his season low.

Originally posted at 07:06 pm |Sunday, October 20, 2013