The 2013 PBA
Commissioner’s Cup opening weekend was quite eventful, to say the least. All
the favored teams were beaten by lower-seeded squads, former San Miguel Corp
players reminded their former teams what made them so valuable in the past, an
import was fined 40K, another import missed his first game due to food
poisoning, and prodigal PBAer Japeth Aguilar has impressed well beyond
expectations.
Let’s see,
Global Port beat Petron and Barako beat San Mig Coffee on Day 1, Alaska beat
ROS and Meralco beat TNT on Day 2, and, lastly, Barako zoomed to the top of the
standings after snatching victory against Global Port, while Air21 defeated
Ginebra on Day 3.
Right now,
the Energy Cola, bannered by the dynamic duo of Josh Urbiztondo and Jonas
Villanueva, both former SMC/B-Meg playmakers, are sitting pretty at #1 with a
2-0 slate. Meanwhile, both Philippine Cup finalists and all three SMC teams are
bringing up the rear.
Aside from
Urbiztondo and Villanueva, John Wilson and Mike Cortez, both formerly of
Ginebra, unloaded great games against their former team. It almost looks like
the former players of the SMC trinity are extra-motivated to go up against
their ex-squad.
Perhaps the
biggest story of the first weekend, however, has been the awesome play of
former #1 pick Japeth Aguilar. Aguilar, fresh from his efforts to break into
the NBA D-League, is currently the second-most efficient player in the
conference, right behind Ginerba’s Mark Caguioa. Aguilar is averaging
eye-popping numbers – 19.5ppg, 9.5rpg, 2.5apg, 2.0bpg, and 1.0spg while
shooting 46% from the field and 80% from the line. He’s also playing a
career-high 38 minutes per game.
Hey, maybe
he was right to demand more playing time after all?
 |
| Japeth Aguilar shone for the Batang Pier over the past weekend. |
Game Recaps:
GLOBAL PORT BATANG PIER over
PETRON BLAZE BOOSTERS, 94-92
GlobalPort
could have given up after import Justin Williams was ejected from the game
early in the third quarter.
But instead
of rolling over, the Batang Pier came from behind to fashion out an impressive
94-92 victory over the Petron Blaze Boosters, 94-92, Friday at the
SMART-Araneta Coliseum to open their 2013 Commissioner’s Cup campaign.
“I begged
the players to play defense, hang on and make the game close because I thought
we can pull off an upset,” said GlobalPort coach Junel Baculi.
Gary David
scored 28 points while new acquisitions Sol Mercado and Japeth Aguilar added 17
and 16, respectively, for GlobalPort, which bucked the disqualification of
reinforcement Justin Williams with 8:18 left in the third quarter.
Williams
still finished with an impressive line of 18 points, 15 rebounds, and three
blocked shots before he was called for a flagrant foul penalty two after
elbowing June Mar Fajardo, leading to an automatic ejection.
Mercado’s
free throws with less than three minutes left gave GlobalPort the lead for
good. GlobalPort was still up, 93-92, when Arwind Santos’ long-range attempt
failed to hit the mark, forcing Petron to foul Aguilar with 1.8 seconds left.
Aguilar
split his free throws, giving Petron one last crack. But Ronald Tubid was
unable to get off his final shot, preserving the GlobalPort victory.
Aguilar
added nine rebounds and three blocks while Mercado had 11 assists for the
Batang Pier, which tied its win total from the Philippine Cup with the victory.
GLO 94 – David 28, Williams 18, Mercado
17, Aguilar 16, Yee 8, Salvador 3, Nabong 2, Miller 2, Deutchman 0, Lingganay
0, Juntilla 0, Aljamal 0, Adducul 0.
PET 92 – Balkman 23, Santos 15, Tubid
12, Cabagnot 11, Lanete 9, Washington 7, Miranda 6, Fajardo 5, Yeo 2, Pena 2,
Lutz 0.
QS: 19-16, 39-45, 64-69, 94-92
 |
| Sol Mercado seems to be fitting in well with his new team. |
BARAKO BULL ENERGY COLA over
SAN MIG COFFEE MIXERS, 79-75
Last season,
Josh Urbiztondo and Jonas Villanueva helped the B-MEG Llamados win the
Commissioner’s Cup.
One year
later, the point guard duo was winning at their old team’s expense, as they led
Barako Bull to a tight 79-75 victory over the San Mig Coffee Mixers Friday at
the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Urbiztondo,
who was traded to Barako Bull prior to the start of the season, posted 17
points, nine rebounds, and four assists. Villanueva, who joined the Energy
Colas after the Philippine Cup, had 16 points and five assists, including a key
pass to Danny Seigle for a three-pointer that pushed the Barako Bull lead to
five points, 76-71, with 30 seconds remaining.
Import Evan
Brock added 18 points and 12 rebounds for Barako Bull, which took advantage of
San Mig Coffee playing without reinforcement Matt Rogers. The Mixers import was
confined in the hospital prior to the game because of suspected food poisoning.
“This is an
important win for us,” saidBarako Bull team consultant Rajko Toroman. “I have
five or six players on injured list and the rotation was so small. But we
played good defense.”
Despite
playing with a handicap, San Mig Coffee kept the game close led by James Yap,
who scored 19 points but suffered an injury late that kept him on the bench for
key stretches of the fourth quarter.
BAR 79 – Brock 18, Urbiztondo 17,
Villanueva 16, Macapagal 8, Seigle 8, Maliksi 7, Pennisi 5, Duncil 0, Kramer 0,
Allado 0.
SMC 75 – Yap 19, Reavis 13, Simon 11,
Najorda 8, Devance 6, Pingris 6, Mallari 5, Barroca 4, Alvarez 3, Gonzales 0.
QS: 16-19, 38-36, 55-52, 79-75
 |
| Former backcourt mates Jonas Villanueva and James Yap meet anew. |
ALASKA ACES over RAIN OR
SHINE ELASTO-PAINTERS, 83-81
Cyrus Baguio
hit a fastbreak layup in transition to beat the buzzer and give the Alaska Aces
an 83-81 victory over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters Saturday night at the
SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Baguio’s
basket capped a thrilling endgame comeback for the Aces, who needed a
desperation 25-foot three-pointer from Calvin Abueva to tie the game at 81-all
with 10 seconds left in the game.
Rain or
Shine set up a play for import Bruno Sundov for its final possession. But the
attempt of the 7-foot-3 Croatian was foiled at the basket by Abueva, leading to
a loose ball.
Alaska made
the loose ball recovery and got the ball to Baguio, who raced downcourt past
three Elasto Painters to score the game-winning layup.
Import
Robert Dozier led the Aces with 21 points and 16 rebounds in his PBA debut.
“Bruno
Sundov, I believe, is the barometer among the imports playing and it’s nice for
Robert Dozier to step up in the second half,” said Alaska coach Luigi Trillo,
who earned his first career victory against Rain or Shine.
Sundov
caused major problems all game long for Alaska, scoring 30 points and grabbing
15 rebounds. But Dozier came alive in the second half, scoring 16 of his 21
points after the break. Sonny Thoss added 17 points for Alaska while Abueva had
eight points and 14 rebounds for the Aces.
The game
will be broadcast over AKTV at 10 p.m. Saturday.
ALA 83 – Dozier 21, Thoss 17, Casio 11,
Baguio 9, Abueva 8, Espinas 6, Ramos 5, Jazul 4, Hontiveros 2, Reyes 0, Dela
Cruz 0, Belasco 0.
ROS 81 – Sundov 30, Lee 8, Norwood 8,
Chan 8, Tang 6, Arana 6, Matias 5, Belga 5, Cruz 2, Quinahan 2, Tiu 1,
Rodriguez 0.
QS: 24-23; 40-47; 66-66; 83-81
MERALCO BOLTS over TALK N
TEXT TROPANG TEXTERS, 99-92
Eric Dawson
has served notice.
The Meralco
import scored 16 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Bolts to an
impressive 99-92 victory over the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters in the
Commissioner’s Cup Saturday night at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Dawson added
14 rebounds and four blocks for the Bolts, who squandered an 18-point first
half lead before recovering in time to turn back the Tropang Texters.
“We played
Talk N Text at the right time. They didn’t have extensive practice together and
they have two new guys on their roster,” said Ryan Gregorio.
“We, on the other
hand, were practicing a long time. Eric has been practicing for us for the past
three weeks.”
Ronjay
Buenafe and Mac Cardona added 19 and 16 points, respectively, for the Bolts.
Chris Ross, starting at the point guard spot in place of the traded Sol
Mercado, scored just two points but had nine rebounds and eight assists for
Meralco.
“This is
definitely a brand new franchise. It’s nice to win this game against the
champs,” added Gregorio.
“I like the
unpredictability of our game right now. We can go to the post and we can go off
screen.”
Despite the
team effort, it was Dawson who sealed the deal for the Bolts, scoring 11 of his
team’s final 13 points. He drew the sixth and final foul of Talk ‘N Text import
Keith Benson with more than three minutes remaining, taking the fight out of
the Tropang Texters.
Benson led
Talk ‘N Text with 25 points, while Jimmy Alapag added 18, 14 of which came in
the second half. Jayson Castro had 15 of his 17 points in the second quarter,
but played sparingly in the second half because of an apparent injury.
MER 99 – Dawson 37, Buenafe 19, Cardona
16, Manuel 8, HugnaTAN 8, Hodge 4, Borboran 3, Guevarra 2, Timberlake 0, Reyes
0, Artadi 0.
TNT 92 – Benson 25, Alapag 18,
Castro17, De Ocampo 9, Fonacier 7, Reyes 6, Dillinger 4, Raymundo 2,
Al-Hussaini 2, Carey 2, Aban 0, Ferriols 0.
QS: 27-14; 48-41; 68-62; 99-92
BARAKO BULL ENERGY COLA over
GLOBAL PORT BATANG PIER, 98-88 (OT)
Barako
Bull’s finish kick was so strong, the GlobalPort Batang Pier didn’t quite know
what hit them.
The Energy
Colas finished the game on a 22-2 run spanning the fourth quarter and overtime
period, hacking out a 98-88 victory over GlobalPort Sunday at the SMART-Araneta
Coliseum.
Barako Bull
looked dead in the water trailing by 10 points, 86-76, heading into the
two-minute mark of regulation. But the Energy Colas locked down on defense and
finished the fourth period with a 10-0 run capped by a three-pointer by a
corner three-pointer Mark Macapagal to force overtime.
It was
Macapagal’s only conversion from beyond the arc, and it came at exactly the
right moment.
“We’re
waiting for that the whole game and it came at a right time,” said Barako Bull
coach Bong Ramos.
Barako Bull
finished the job in extra time, outscoring GlobalPort, 12-2, for their second
straight victory and an early spot atop the Commissioner’s Cup team standings.
“It’s a
great thing to win this kind of game. We showed character in winning our last
two games,” said Barako Bull team consultant Rajko Toroman.
Import Evan
Brock led the charge with 25 points and 18 rebounds, while Josh Urbiztondo
added 24 points on six three-pointers for Barako Bull, which saw five players —
Brock, Urbiztondo,, Macapagal, Jonas Villanueva, and Allein Maliksi — logging
at least 35 minutes with a shorthanded roster missing five key players.
Villanueva
chipped in 18 points, six rebounds, and six assists, while Danny Seigle added
16 points, including a slam dunk over GlobalPort import Justin Williams in the
fourth quarter that fired up the Energy Colas.
The loss
spoiled the fine efforts of GlobalPort’s top guns.
Japeth
Aguilar led GlobalPort in scoring with 23 points and added 10 rebounds. Sol
Mercado finished with 19 points and 16 assists, while Williams posted 12 points
and 27 rebounds before leaving the game in overtime because of an apparent leg
injury.
“Our
strategic plan was not to give Sol Mercado the penetration and not allow Gary
David and Willie Miller the outside shot,” said Toroman.
Gary David
added 19 points for GlobalPort, whose win-loss record dropped to 1-1.
BAR 98 – Brock 25, Urbiztondo 24,
Villanueva 18, Seigle 16, Maliksi 9, Macapagal 6, Kramer 0, Pennisi 0, Allado
0.
GLO 88 – Aguilar 23, Mercado 19, David
19, Williams 12, Miller 7, Yee 5, Salvador 3, Deutchman 0, Juntilla 0.
QS: 21-19, 35-38, 60-58, 86-86, 98-88
 |
| Mark Macapagal waves to the crowd after sending the game to overtime. |
AIR21 EXPRESS over BGY.
GINEBRA GIN KINGS, 74-70
Air 21 got
the kind of debut it needed from import Michael Dunigan, who finished with 26
points and 19 rebounds as the Express outlasted Barangay Ginebra San Miguel,
74-70, in the main game of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the SMART-Araneta
Coliseum Sunday night.
Dunigan
scored 18 points in the second half to rescue Air 21 as he completely outplayed
his counterpart Herbert Hill, who scored 17 points but shot a woeful 7-of-24
(24 percent) from the field. The Ginebra import also committed six turnovers.
Hill was
held to just two points in the first 24 minutes of play, but picked up his
scoring in the second half, as the Gin Kings fought their way back from a
12-point deficit.
But Dunigan
conspired with former Ginebra stalwarts Mike Cortez and John Wilson, who scored
13 points apiece, to seal the win for Air 21 in the fourth quarter.
“It’s always
a nice feeling beating Ginebra, especially because of their star-studded line
up,” said Air 21 coach Franz Pumaren.
“If you look
at our lineup, man for man, we’re the weakest in terms of local line up because
most of the other teams have upgraded their line ups.”
Pumaren said
that beyond his scoring, Dunigan has shored up the team’s interior defense. Air
21 allowed just 21 points for Ginebra in the first half.
“We won this
game because of defense. Michael is a big factor. His intimidation underneath
is a big plus for us and when the time comes we needed to score, he provided
it. He just needs to get used with those pushing and shoving in the PBA,” added
Pumaren.
The loss
spoiled the effort of Mark Caguioa, who finished with 26 points to lead
Ginebra.
AIR 74 – Dunigan 26, Wilson 13, Cortez
13, Reyes 7, Isip 7, Custodio 5, Menor 2, Canaleta 1, Sena 0, Baclao 0, Omolon
0, Ritualo 0, Arboleda 0.
GIN 70 – Caguioa 26, Hill 17,
Helterbrnd 10, Wilson 7, Ellis 3, Tenorio 3, Baracael 2, Mamaril 2, Taha 0,
Jensen 0, Maierhofer 0, Hatfield 0.
QS: 17-13, 31-21, 48-50, 74-70
 |
| Michael Dunigan was a tower of power for Air21. |
Source: Unless otherwise specified, game
recaps were compressed and compiled from InterAKTV. (Writing credit to Rey
Joble.)
Images: All images are from InterAKTV.
(Photo credit to Paolo Papa and Pranz Kaeno Billones)
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