REYNEL Hugnatan of Meralco tries to wiggle free from the double team of B-Meg’s Mark Pingris (left) and Joe Devance (right). AUGUST DELA CRUZ
B-Meg didn’t need to stop Meralco’s unstoppable Game 1 weapon last night. The B-Boys’ top local gun was ejected for an unprovoked cheap shot and did the Llamados a huge favor.
Exploiting the early disqualification of Mac Cardona, the Llamados roared to a 95-85 win over the B-Boys and squared their best-of-three PBA Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinal series at 1-all at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“If you hit somebody in the face, that (ejection) was the right call,” said B-Meg coach Tim Cone, who won his first KO match with his new team. “It certainly wasn’t our fault.”
Marc Pingris was a surprise scoring sparkplug with 21 points and four others finished in twin digits as the Llamados took the momentum going into the rubber match on Sunday.
Alaska also forged a decider in its separate series with Barako Bull after erasing an early 11-point deficit on the way to a 99-92 win.
LA Tenorio scattered 22 points and Cyrus Baguio chipped in with 20 and the Alaska defense was just as efficient in preventing the Barako Bull veterans from taking over the game the way they did in the Game 1 stretch.
Elimination round topnotcher and defending champion Talk ‘N Text is awaiting the winner of the Barako Bull-Alaska series, while the survivor of the B-Meg versus Meralco match-up advances to face Barangay Ginebra in a best-of-seven semifinal series.
Cardona was tossed out less than two minutes in, when he planted a forearm to the head of B-Meg import Denzel Bowles while they were on the floor after the flamboyant Meralco swingman had connected on a layup off Bowles.
He was whistled for a flagrant foul 1, and counting a technical slapped on him for shouting expletives at Josh Urbiztondo, left the court without any objection as the giant screen in the center scoreboard showed replays of his shot at Bowles.
Cardona was one of the main reasons why the B-Boys came into the contest with the chance to wrap up the series. He shot 10 of his 22 points in a telling 18-0 run in the fourth quarter on Sunday that highlighted a 103-90 win.
Without him, B-Meg was able to open up leads of as many as 26 points in the first half, the last at 40-14.
“This was the easy game,” Cone said. “The next one (Game 3) is going to be the hard one.”
NOTES: Fans using a blow horn to cheer their respective teams have made for a livelier atmosphere in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals. But they will be asked to sit in the general admission section starting Sunday after the television and radio coverors sought the help of the league because their audio broadcasts were being drowned by the noise.
The scores:
First Game
B-MEG 95—Pingris 21, Bowles 20, Simon 15, Urbiztondo 13, Devance 10, Yap 8, Intal 4, Barroca 2, Reavis 2, De Ocampo 0.
MERALCO 85—Barron 39, Mercado 18, Macapagal 9, Taulava 7, Ross 4, Timberlake 2, Yee 2, Aljamal 2, Cardona 2, Borboran 0, Hugnatan 0.
Quarters: 32-13, 52-29, 76-68, 95-85
Second Game
ALASKA 99—Tenorio 22, Baguio 20, Thoss 17, Baracael 16, Parada 12, Eman 7, Gonzales 3, Custodio 2, Reyes 0.
BARAKO 92—Freeman 22, Seigle 19, Tubid 15, Miller 13, Allado 8, Pennisi 6, Arboleda 5, Pena 4, Gatumbato 0, Weinstein 0, Najorda 0, Salvador 0.
Quarters: 28-34, 48-48, 77-63, 99-92