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Scores:
San Miguel 121 - Young 42, Santos 17, Ildefonso 17, Al-Hussaini 16, Cabagnot 16, Salvacion 5, Baclao 4, Miranda 3, Hubalde 1, Yeo 0, Tugade 0, Pennisi 0.


Rain or Shine 117 - Adams 20, Vanlandingham 18, Belga 18, Kramer 15, Rodriguez 14, Norwood 7, Chan 6, Jazul 5, Ibanes 5, Buenafe 3, Tang 2, Arana 2, Ferriols 2, Uyloan 0, Cruz 0.


Quarter scores: 30-23, 51-46, 82-80, 109-109 (regulation), 121-117 (OT).

Source: GMA News

-- It’s hard to shine on a team with a cavalcade of stars.

But for Jay Washington, there’s no better time than to raise his level several notches against two crack teams over the weekend.

Washington averaged 24 points, eight rebounds, 1.5 blocks and one assist in the Beermen’s back-to-back victories over Rain or Shine and sister team B-Meg Derby Ace. His performance was simply hard to ignore and he was chosen as this week’s Best Player by the Philippine Basketball Association Press Corps from the period of April 30 to May 2.

The 6-foot-7 forward’s fine all-around plays in both those games earned glowing appreciation from no less than SMB coach Siot Tanquingcen.

“His talent is really something. He can beat you from the inside and the outside and that’s just incredible," said Tanquingcen, who also can’t help but compare Washington to 1999 Rookie of the Year awardee Danny Seigle in his heydays.

“His skill level is very high and he has this uncanny understanding of the game. If you play him small, he’ll post you up. If you play him big, he’ll kill you in the perimeter. He reminds me so much of a young Danny Seigle," Tanquingcen noted.

Washington performed as his team’s go-to-guy in those victories. He had an impressive 25-point, seven-rebound performance in SMB’s come-from-behind 80-72 win over Derby Ace last Sunday.

Olsen Racela, Joseph Yeo, Alex Cabagnot and Arwind Santos spearheaded the Beermen’s comeback from two 18-point third quarter deficits, but Washington kept them in the game with all but two of his personal season-high points in the first three periods.

And his lay up also capped the Beermen’s rally as they grabbed a 67-66 edge.

The 28-year-old first set a new season-high with 23 points in a 105-97 win over the Elasto Painters last Friday, spiking his performance with nine rebounds, two steals and as many blocks.

Source: ABS-CBN News

-- Coca-Cola survived a poor shooting performance and escaped with a 100-96 win over Air21 to remain on top of the standings of the KFC-PBA Fiesta Conference Wednesday night at the Araneta Coliseum.

James Penny, Asi Taulava and RJ Rizada took advantage of the Express’ foul-troubled big men in the closing minutes to give the Tigers a rare 3-0 start in the tournament.

Penny finished with a game-high 29 points, including a put-back of a missed triple by Norman Gonzales. The put-back helped preserve the win for Coke.

David chipped in 21 while Gonzales contributed 10, highlighted by a 3-of-4 shooting from the 3-point area.

“My wish was granted. I really expected this to be tough game. We’re just lucky, and the guys did not give up even though we’re behind,” said Tigers had coach Bo Perasol.

“Everybody else contributed, but we missed a lot of free throws. If we could have made some of these, I think we would have been able to pull away a little earlier,” he added.

Air21, which committed a season-tying high of 32 turnovers, fell to 1-2.

“This (3-0) is a good start for us going up against Ginebra on Sunday,” said Perasol.

Beermen survive TNT

San Miguel Beer bounced back from a humiliating loss as it defeated Talk ‘N Text, 112-106, in overtime to improve its mark to 2-1.

Gabe Freeman collected 29 points and 22 rebounds to lead the Beermen, who dropped a 108-98 decision to Coke last Saturday in Gingoog City.

Dondon Hontiveros added 21 points while Anthony Washington contributed 18.

Ranidel de Ocampo led the Tropang Texters with 28 points, including the 3-pointer with 0.9 ticks left to send the game to overtime. Harvey Carey had 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Texters.

“Masama ang laro last time, buti na lang kahit papaano nakabawi,” said SMB head coach Siot Tanquingcen. “Milya-milya pa sa laro na gusto naming ipakita.”

San Miguel used a 6-1 run at the start of overtime to take control of the game, 103-98 with 3:05, and TNT failed to convert its shots the rest of the way.

Jimmy Alapag had 17 while Shawn Daniels netted 16 points and 15 rebounds for the Texters, who dropped to 1-2.

Source: Nelson Beltran, Philippine Star

-- Coca-Cola outscored San Miguel in a duel of spurts last night, getting away with a telling run at the finish for a 108-98 victory in their PBA Fiesta Conference road game at the Gingoog City Sports and Cultural Center in Gingoog, Misamis Oriental.

Chico Lanete came off the bench to preside over Coca-Cola’s swashbuckling, finish sending the Tigers to a second straight win for early solo leadership in the season-ending reinforced conference.

The Beermen started strong but faltered at the finish as they lost big men Dorian Peña, Gabe Freeman, Jay Washington and Danny Ildefonso one after the other.

They moved down to joint second place with the Sta. Lucia Realtors, the Ginebra Kings, the Talk n Text Tropang Texters and the Barako Energy Coffee Masters with identical 1-1 win-loss records.

The Realtors and the Energy Coffee Masters go for a second straight win as they take on the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and the Air21 Express, respectively, at the resumption of play at the Araneta Coliseum today.

Dorian went to the showers ahead of everybody on a flagrant foul on Dennis Espino right in the first quarter, Freeman suffered cramps with 5:13 left to play while Washington and Ildefonso fouled out in the homestretch.

The Tigers simply pounced on the situation, unleashing a 14-4 run to race ahead, 88-85, entering the last five minutes of the game.

With no import rival to contend with, James Penny imposed his will at the finish and the Tigers went on to chalk up their first 2-0 start in the last four conferences. They had a 0-3 start in the recent Philippine Cup where they finished seventh.

The Tigers set out for the game coming off a 13-point whipping of the Energy Coffee Masters Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.

Source: Nelson Beltran, Philippine Star

-- Jay Washington nailed two free throws and blocked a three-point shot by Beau Belga in the last 16 seconds of play as San Miguel Beer bucked Gabe Freeman’s early exit on fouls to edge Air21, 92-87, in the PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum last night.

Alex Cabagnot, a former Sta. Lucia Realtor, Coke Tiger and BK Whopper, made a decent debut in a San Miguel uniform, piling up 13 points and six assists to help the Beermen start their title-retention bid on a winning note.

Freeman had produced 23 points and 19 rebounds when he fouled out with still 2:22 left and San Miguel ahead by only five at 86-81.

Air21 threatened at 87-88 but San Miguel pulled through on key plays by Washington and Cabagnot in the closing seconds.

The Express put up a tough challenge with Keena Young delivering 23 points and 21 rebounds and local teammates Ronjay Buenafe and Belga adding double-digit outputs.

Earlier, James Penny marked another return stint in the local pro league with a near triple-double job, and Coca-Cola got off to rousing start with a 97-74 whipping of Barako Energy Coffee.

Penny led a vicious Coca-Cola attack in the fourth quarter giving the Tigers an auspicious debut in the tourney where they finished eighth the last time.

The former Texas Christian U star churned out 27 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists to prove he’s as dependable as ever.

He’s in his fourth tour of duty in the PBA after leading Red Bull to the championship in 2006 then to a third-place finish the following year before moving over to Coca-Cola last season. He has PBA career averages of 24.6 points, 13.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.7 blocks.

“I’m back and I intend to win. Our team is looking pretty good,” said Penny.

“We challenged James, and he responded well. I told him we need him to be a scorer,” said Coca-Cola coach Bo Perasol.

“I also told him that they (other teams and fans) are not talking about him. They are talking about the other imports but we believe that he’s the best,” Perasol added.

Penny had back-to-back slams touching off a decisive assault that opened an 84-64 bulge for the Tigers.

Gary David, Asi Taulava and Norman Gonzales put in tremendous help offensively while RJ Rizada had a big hand on the defensive end.

Sammy Monroe, who erupted for 39 points in a triumphant debut versus Sta. Lucia on opening day, was held down to 25 this time, going 0-of-6 in the field while guarded by Rizada.

David fired 17 points, Taulava tossed in 11 while Gonzales added nine, all coming in the payoff period.

The Tigers, seventh placers in the recent Philippine Cup, took command early, leading by 15 points, 42-27, at the half, but the Coffee Masters waged a fierce chase to come to within four in the third quarter.

Barako was still within striking distance at 60-67 before Penny, Gonzales, David and Taulava combined in a sizzling run to rip the game wide open, 82-63.

Coca-Cola took double-digit spreads right in the first quarter and enjoyed a lead as many as 17 in the second period.

Source: Nelson Beltran, Philippine Star

-- Purefoods is back in the KFC PBA Philippine Cup finals, ranged against a team – Alaska Milk – it has an old score to settle with.

The Giants arranged a third all-Filipino final showdown with the Aces as they completed an upset of the powerhouse San Miguel squad in their semifinal series with a stirring 87-78 win at the Araneta Coliseum last night.

For the third straight game, the Giants humbled the Beermen with a gutsy stand to win their best-of-seven series at 4-2.

Purefoods, thus, made the all-Filipino finals for the second time in three years and for the 12th time in franchise history, getting a crack at a fifth crown versus Alaska.

“It’s so nice to be back in the finals after a three-year dry spell. It’s like a rain after a long, long summer,” said Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio.

The top-seeded Alaska team and No. 3 Purefoods start their best-of-seven titular series with Game One Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Giants are out to sustain their searing playoff run, looking to avenge losses to the Aces in their two previous all-Filipino confrontations.

“This is really answered prayers. We were witnesses to a great miracle in this series. We all know how strong that team is and how good a coach they have,” said Gregorio of their conquest of the second-seeded San Miguel side.

“At the start of the playoffs, I told myself I would be happy reaching the semis. But my players wanted more. And we knew all along that it doesn’t take the best players to win, it’s the players who give their best and that’s what we have in this team,” Gregorio added.

“Beating San Miguel is like winning a championship. But that is not enough. We’ve got past the second-seeded team and we’re looking forward to also make it past the top seed. We hope we still have the legs to prevail,” Gregorio also said.

So impressive were the Giants in the last three games, they led the Beermen from start to finish in each of those contests.

And like in Games Four and Five, starters James Yap, Roger Yap, Marc Pingris, Rafi Reavis and Kerby Raymundo gave Purefoods a tremendous lift in dishing out splendid jobs.

Roger Yap and Pingris both churned out double-double numbers while James Yap, Reavis and Raymundo contributed double-digit outputs.

Roger Yap had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Pingris 15 points and 13 rebounds, James Yap 18 points, five rebounds and three assists, Reavis 12 points and eight rebounds, and Raymundo 11 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks.

The Purefoods starters badly outscored their SMB counterparts, 76-39.

The Giants erected a 20-point spread late in the first half and showed tremendous staying power, repelling repeated comeback attempts by the Beermen.

San Miguel failed to shake off Purefoods, unable to get a shot at back-to-back championships after its triumphant finish in the 2008-09 Fiesta Conference.

More efficient on both ends, the Giants raced to a 20-point lead at 48-28 before settling for a 48-32 spread at halftime.

Purefoods established control early while hitting at a 48.6-percent clip, 12 percent better than San Miguel’s shooting in the first 24 minutes of play.

The Giants also dominated the boards, 25-18, on tremendous hustles.

Arwind Santos sank two free throws and converted an undergoal stab to narrow their deficit to 16 at the half.

The Giants were holding a slim 26-23 lead when they launched a searing attack to pull away at 48-28.

Source: GMA News

-- Purefoods goes for the kill Sunday night when it seeks a finals berth in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup at the expense of a San Miguel team that have their backs on the ball at the Astrodome in Pasay City.

The Giants finally grabbed the lead in the best-of-seven series, 3-2, following a 94-82 rout of the Beermen in Friday’s Game 5.

And another win in the 6 p.m. encounter would have coach Ryan Gregorio and James Yap & Co. advancing to their first Finals stint in two years opposite the Alaska Aces.

Knowing how potent the Beermen are, Gregorio is treating the game with a lot of urgency.

"We know that San Miguel, with its roster power, could very well come back," he said. "That is why we are treating Game 6 as a do or die. SMB is such a strong team. You can’t blink, you have to be vigilant."

The Game 5 win by the Giants marked only the first time a team won back-to-back contest in the series, a breakthrough that had Gregorio grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Definitely we like where we are at this point. But there’s no point in celebrating until we win the next game," said Gregorio. "And we don’t want to give them any chance. Much as we lead the series 3-2, we’re still the underdogs trying to gate-crash the Finals."

Paced by Kerby Raymundo and Roger Yap’s 18 points, five players scored in double figures for the Giants the last time. James Yap, although struggling (5-of-17) from the field, still wound up with 17 points, while Nino Canaleta came off the bench to contribute 13 and Rafi Reavies had 10.

In the event the series comes to an end Sunday, Purefoods will have two days to prepare for the best-of-seven title series against Alaska on Wednesday.

The Aces cornered the first Finals berth after sweeping the Ginebra Kings on Feb. 17.

The Beermen have nothing to blame but themselves for Friday night’s loss.

They allowed Purefoods to shoot 46.6 percent from the field (34-of-73) and clearly was caught napping at times on missed attempts by the Giants, who got away with 18 second-chance points.

The Beermen likewise struggled offensively, making just 42 of their 70 shots (40 percent) from the floor.

Source: Nelson Beltran, Philippine Star

-- Alaska Milk is back in the all-Filipino finals.

The Aces cut loose from a tight game in the homestretch and completed a masterful sweep of the Barangay Ginebra Kings in their KFC PBA Philippine best-of-seven semifinal showdown with a 102-95 win last night at the Araneta Coliseum.

Pointguard LA Tenorio presided over the Aces’ mighty finish that carried them to an eighth all-Filipino finale and 24th overall with a crack at a 13th championship.

“Wow! Who would have thought we could do this. To be here beating Ginebra four in a row is an incredible feat,” said Alaska coach Tim Cone of their sweet sweep.

“I don’t know where we came from. The guys lifted our game to a whole new level. From the beginning in Game One, the guys were fresh, hungry and sharp. And they didn’t lose anything along the way. It’s kind of unusual,” Cone also said.

“Ginebra played well tonight. They had the game they wanted to play. But we still had a better night,” Cone added.

Tenorio produced 20 points and 10 assists, Reynel Hugnatan put in 18 points and 10 rebounds and big men Sonny Thoss and Joe De Vance combined for 29 points and 12 rebounds as Alaska kept its mastery of Ginebra, essaying only the fourth 4-0 playoff sweep in league history.

So impressive were the Aces in the series they walloped the Kings by an average margin of 13.25 points.

“We just had a real unusual series. Just anybody I picked from the bench played very well,” said Cone.

The Kings engaged the Aces in a battle in Game Four but ran out of gas, slowing it down at the finish.

After the Kings tied for the last time at 85-all, Tenorio banged away a trey to spark a decisive eight-to-nothing run, getting the Aces ahead to stay.

Purefoods rebounded from a humbling defeat, whipping San Miguel Beer, 97-84, and forcing a 2-2 deadlock in the other semfinal game.

James Yap and Kerby Raymundo, the team’s main men, shared the load with their teammates, resulting in a better team performance and the crucial win watched by a crowd of over 12,000.

Roger Yap went a rebound shy of a triple-double effort with Marc Pingris and Rafi Reavis having their own double-double job as they gave the Giants a tremendous lift in springing back from a 76-88 loss in Game Three.

Yap produced 15 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, Pingris submitted 15 points and 11 rebounds while Reavis tallied 14 rebounds and 12 points in the game marred by the ouster of a San Miguel support staff on a technical infraction.

“I think this is the first time we hit the 20s in assist department. I told James and Kerby they have to share the ball. We have to get the other players involved on offense. Good thing they bought the idea,” said Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio.

“We’re not able to play our game. We allowed them to shoot 48 percent from the field and we’re also down in assists. Basically, that’s the story,” said San Miguel coach Siot Tanquingcen.

Imposing their game, the Giants led by as many as 21 points right in the first period before slowing down in the next two quarters then getting back into the groove in the final canto.

“It was a game of adjustments. They threw good defensive efforts but we had some antidotes and good thing they worked,” said Gregorio.

“We want to stay alive and we want to stay competing. When we regained control in the fourth, I practically begged (my players) ‘please don’t let them make a run again,’” Gregorio added.

The Beermen, behind Jonas Villanueva, Jay Washington and Arwind Santos, waged a searing rally in the final half, reducing a 22-point gap, 20-42, to three, 71-74, early in the fourth quarter.

The Giants, however, showed great composure, regaining control at 90-74, on a decisive roll led by Pingris and Roger Yap.

“It’s down to a best of three, and honestly I feel we have a legitimate crack with the way we’ve been playing and with the way we’ve been concentrating in trying to stop the team,” said Gregorio.

“But we need to give my players who play extensive minutes some rest again. At this point, it’s better to spend time in video room and talk about things that should be done. It’s unnecessary to practice on the court,” Gregorio added.

The Giants came out revitalized, sprinting to a 21-point spread at 29-8.

They then had several 22-point leads before settling for a 53-44 cushion at halftime.

San Miguel made it a more manageable deficit as Danny Ildefonso, Denok Miranda and Washington closed out the second period with five straight charities.

Source: GMA News

-- Who says a powerhouse team like San Miguel can’t play defense?

The Beermen shackled the Purefoods Giants in Game 3 of their KFC-PBA Philippine Cup semifinals, 88-76, to go up, 2-1, in the best-of-seven series.

So daunting was San Miguel on the defensive end Sunday night at the Araneta Coliseum that it forced the Giants to a paltry 36 percent field goal shooting, including a horrible 2-of-23 attempts from the three-point region.

Only KG Canaleta accounted for the two three-pointers of the Giants, with the rest going scoreless from downtown, from James Yap (0-of-6), Paul Artadi (0-for-5) to Kerby Raymundo and Roger Yap (0-for-3).

“We went back to basics. Bumalik kami sa depensa na nagpapanalo sa amin sa elimination round," said San Miguel coach Siot Tanquingcen.

“We’re more committed on defense in this game than the last time," added the soft-spoken mentor whose Beermen were blasted by the Giants in Game 2, 103-84.

Offensively, Dondon Hontiveros and Jay Washington took care of business for the Beermen, each finishing with 15 apiece, while support came from Arwind Santos (13), Mike Cortez (10) and Jonas Villanueva (10).

The Beermen led by as many as 17, 61-44, midway in the third period, before holding back a late Purefoods charge as Villanueva and Cortez each had eight in the closing quarter.

James Yap led the Giants with 14 along with Canaleta while Raymundo and Roger Yap each had 11. Rafi Reavies, who had 20 points in Game 2, was held down to only eight this time.

“One glaring stats for today’s game was our inability to score. That’s basically the story of the game," admitted Purefoods mentor Ryan Gregorio as his Giants were limited to just 12 points in the first 12 minutes, and only 34 at the break.

Source: Waylon Galvez, Manila Bulletin

-- After losing the series opener, Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio challenged James Yap and the Giants’ frontline to step their game up.

Yap and company did not frustrate Gregorio as they came through with solid games to help Purefoods score a surprisingly easy 103-84 win and level their Final Four series with San Miguel Beer in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup Friday night at the Astrodome in Pasay City.

Veteran forward Rafi Reavis, one of the players acquired in the off-season, finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds as he ably filled the spot vacated by forward Kerby Ramundo, who was ejected from the game in the second period.

It was the 6-foot-7 Reavis’ best offensive game since the 2004 Fiesta Cup when he scored 22 as a member of Coca-Cola team.

Held to only eight points all from the foul line in an 83-99 loss in Game 1, Yap came through with 17 points, the same output of Nino Canaleta, who celebrated his 28th birthday with aplomb.

He shot 7-of-11 from the field, including 3-of-5 from the three-point territory. Game 3 is set this Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

“We wanted to come up with the same kind of effort and energy in Game 1. Unfortunately our legs were not present. Luckily today, we were able to play with tremendous effort, tremendous energy. We defended the way we defended other teams,” said Gregorio.

“Good things happen when we make stops. It’s really nice to finally win against San Miguel,” added Gregorio, whose team was 0-3 against SMB this conference prior to the game. “But it takes three more wins to win the series. We just cut it to a best-of-five.”

Holding a 14-point lead (73-59), Yap sparked a 6-0 run to open the final frame as Purefoods took a 79-59 edge with 10:48 left in the game.

SMB trimmed the deficit to 11, 70-81, when forward Danny Seigle (16 points) led a comeback, but Purefoods responded with big baskets down the stretch from Canaleta and Yap, who made a triple for a 93-71 advantage with 3:30 to play.

The Giants were aggressive both ends as they shot 40 of 81 (49.4 percent) from the field while dominating the boards, 51-44. They held the Beermen to a miserable 29-of-75 shooting (38.7 percent).

SMB also failed to capitalize on the ejection of the 6-foot-6 Raymundo with 4:11 left in the second period with Purefoods ahead, 42-30.

Source: Nelson Beltran, Philippine Star

-- Alaska Milk came out bristling in form despite a long 18-day layoff, routing a weary Barangay Ginebra side for a 104-79 win in the opener of their KFC PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinal showdown at the Araneta Coliseum last night.

Sonny Thoss and Joe De Vance both came through with a double-double showing with LA Tenorio and Tony dela Cruz adding double-digit outputs as the Aces dominated a Ginebra team drained by a grueling stint in the quarterfinals versus Talk n Text.

“We hoped this to happen but not totally expected it,” said Alaska coach Tim Cone.

“They were emotionally and physically tired having to go through that tough quarters series with Talk n Text. But this is just the first game of a long series. They will take a deep breath and I expect a tough game in Game Two,” Cone said.

San Miguel Beer, another team coming off a long rest, walloped Purefoods, 99-83, in Game One of their own best-of-seven semis series.

“Our long break worked well for us. It became a big advantage, giving our injured players time to recover. Danny Seigle and Danny Ildefonso rejoined us in this game and they were of big help,” said San Miguel coach Siot Tanquingcen.

“However, it’s just one game. We must not fall in a wrong sense of security. For sure, Purefoods will play with a lot of energy in the next game,” Tanquingcen added.

After yielding the first basket to Enrico Villanueva, the Aces answered with a 23-8 attack and they utterly outplayed the Kings all the way to the finish.

“We’re a step slow tonight. The Talk n Text series took its toll on us and we didn’t have the fire,” said Ginebra coach Jong Uichico.

“But that’s the way it is and we have no excuse. We must find a way to refresh ourselves. It’s only zero-one and hopefully we can recover,” Uichico said.

With the Alaska starters coming out strong and the reserves also playing well, the Aces took control throughout, leading by as many as 22 points right in the first half.

De Vance and Thoss outclassed Villanueva, Eric Menk and Billy Mamaril with the former churning out 20 points and 18 rebounds and the latter submitting 21 points and 11 rebounds.

Tenorio added 19 points, six assists, five rebounds and two steals while Dela Cruz chipped in 10 points, six rebounds and three assists for the Aces who never showed the effect of a long layoff.

“This is really the best practice team I’ve ever coached. They competed against each other in practice. We battled during the break and that’s the key to this game,” said Cone.

“The guys were sharp. They didn’t turn the ball over even as Ginebra applied the pressure,” Cone added.

The Aces lorded it over the boards, 59-40, and shot much better, hitting at a 49.4 percent clip as against the Kings’ 36 percent shooting.

Practically all the Ginebra players were off except curiously Mark Caguioa who’s still smarting from a knee injury.

Caguioa, playing only his eighth game in the tourney, nailed three triples and finished with a game-high 23 points that went with four rebounds and two steals.

“What I’m disappointed about is seeing players who don’t rise to the challenge, who can’t find the inner strength to rise above adversity,” said Uichico without mentioning any player in particular.

Only two Ginebra players finished in double figures with reserve forward Sunday Salvacion knocking in two triples and a total of 14 points.

JC Intal, who averaged 23.8 points in the quarters, was held down to seven while Ronald Tubid, norming 16.2 points in the tourney, was limited to eight.

The Kings compounded their dilemma when Celino Cruz and Menk sustained injuries that prevented them from finishing the contest.

Source: ABS-CBN News

-- Barangay Ginebra rode again on JC Intal's all-around performance to score a 113-100 win over Talk ‘N Text in Game 5 of their best-of-5 quarterfinal series to enter the semifinals of the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup in front of more than 20,000 fans Sunday night at the Araneta Coliseum.

Intal hit a career-high 28 points to go along with his 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks in his best performance yet in the series to carry the Kings to the best-of-7 semis duel against top seed Alaska.

"I can't find an explanation on this. It has nothing to do with me but the players for not giving up," said Ginebra head coach Jong Uichico, who became the first mentor to overhaul a 0-2 deficit in a best-of-5 series and win it.

"I'm happy we're able to make it to the semis despite what happened in the past," he added.

Ronald Tubid added 16 markers while Eric Menk had the same number of output but added 14 rebounds to lead the frontline attack of the Ranidel de Ocampo-less Tropang Texters.

De Ocampo was suspended by the league for his flagrant foul penalty 2 on Tubid in the abbreviated Game 4. TNT walked out in that game as they questioned calls by the referees.

This time, there's no question that the game belonged to Ginebra, which led from start to finish even though the Texters made some attempts to steal the game from the Kings.

The last time TNT threatened was at 96-102 on Jimmy Alapag's back-to-back three-pointers but the Kings, behind Intal and Menk, finished off the period with an 11-4 windup to dethrone the All-Filipino champions.

Mark Cardona paced TNT with 21 points while Jason Castro and Alapag each had 18 apiece for coach Chot Reyes.

Giants end Painters' bid

Purefoods Tender Juicy halted the magical run of Rain or Shine in the tournament with a masterful 95-85 victory to clinch their best-of-5 quarterfinal series, 3-2.

James Yap fired a game-high 28 points, 13 came in the third period that helped the Giants to break away from close game and face San Miguel Beer in the best-of-7 semifinal series starting Wednesday.

Kerby Raymundo and Roger Yap each had 16 markers for Purefoods, which was forced by the young Elasto Painters to a deciding Game 5 after taking a 2-0 lead in the series.

"Rain or Shine is always a hard match up for us. They are younger and quicker team than us," said Giants head coach Ryan Gregorio who also drew 14 points and 16 rebounds, 8 from the offensive end.

"But I told the players in Game 5, you throw away the stats. Just bring your huge heart on the court and that's what we brought tonight," he added.

Yap, who struggled in Games 3 and 4, was instrumental in Purefoods' strong third quarter as it scored the Elasto Painters, 30-19, to turn a 50-47 halftime edge into an 80-66 cushion going to the final quarter.

The Giants were still holding a 91-79 lead before Rain or Shine responded with a quick 6-0 run capped by Solomon Mercado's triple to stay within striking distance, 85-91, 3:05 left in the game.

But the Painters' hope to come closer ended as Yap hit a jumper in the ensuing play after Rain or Shine came out empty in its next possession, Raymundo sealed the win with two free throws off Eddie Laure, 95-85, 1:37 remaining.

"It's a great relief we finally hurdled this one because they are really a tough team and at certain times, that team possesses bigger hearts than us," said Gregorio.

Mercado led the Elasto Painters with 23 points but was hobbled by foul trouble all throughout the game. Gabe Norwood was the only other Rain or Shine player in double figures with 20 points.

Jeff Chan, one of the stars in Rain or Shine's back-to-back wins, was held down to just 8 points and was 1-of-6 from the rainbow area.