Swingmen
Larry Fonacier and Calvin Abueva finally broke out for their respective teams in
last night’s 2013 PBA Governors’ Cup action at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Larry helped the Tropang Texters subdue the Batang Pier, while Calvin made life
extra tough for the Gin Kings.
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| Larry Fonacier (R) helped Talk N Text overcome the GlobalPort Batang Pier. |
In the first
game, Talk N Text beat GlobalPort, 102-95. Loving the way Larry Fonacier played
in this one. The former King Eagle shot 7/22 from the field, including 3
triples on his way to 19 points on top of 4 assists, 3 rebounds, and ZERO
turnovers in 33 minutes of play. That just screams of efficiency, and it's
great seeing him finally break out. With Alapag's return still in question,
Fonacier should get more looks and, should he make majority of his shots, then
the Texters still have a legit shot at a top four elims finish.
Another guy I
am currently raving about is Rabeh Al-Hussaini. If he can just keep his cool in
every game, then he might actually be one of the most dominant big men in the
7,107 islands. The big guy did pretty well in this one, showing why he could be
a potential Gilas player in the near future. he scored just 6 points, but he
balanced it out with 2 blocked shots and FIFTEEN rebounds!!! WOW!!!
On the other
end, Markeith Cummings and Jay Washington were pretty solid in terms of scoring
and rebounding, but that was offset by several things. Cummings shot just 64%
from the stripe, while Washington connected on just 4/13 field goals. They put
up nice point totals, but they weren't exactly very efficient. Oh, and they
combined for 1/10 three-point shooting. Add to that the fact that they paired
up for 10 of GlobalPort's 17 turnovers and, well, you get the picture.
In the
nightcap, Alaska overcame Ginebra, 102-99, thanks to Calvin Abueva’s breakout
game. What did I tell you about Abueva and his penchant for playing his best in
front of a raucous crowd? He shot 75% from the field, 100% from the line,
grabbed 11 boards, had 5 assists and 1 block in under 30 minutes of play.
Suddenly, he's the leading candidate for ROY once again.
Abueva was a
sterling piece of Alaska’s balanced offense. Six guys finished in double
figures -- Wendell McKines with 27, Abueva and Cyrus Baguio with 18 each, Gabby
Espinas and Joachim Thoss with a dozen markers apiece, and JV Casio netting 11.
That's the true ace under coach Luigi Trillo's sleeve. His team has a great
balance of scoring. Anybody can get hot any night to carry the team.
Unfortunately for the Kings, in this game, most of those scorers were really
on-target.
I really thought
the Kings completed a great turnaround in the second half, only to see them
blow it in the fourth period. They got outclassed on the glass and were just
plainly outshot in the endgame. Love how former Gilas standout Mac Baracael
stepped up with 20 big ones, though. Too bad Ginebra absorbed its third loss in
four outings.
Game Recaps:
TALK N TEXT over GLOBALPORT,
102-95
Import Tony
Mitchell was his usual high-scoring self, but Talk ‘N Text’s trio of Gilas
Pilipinas stalwarts provided added punch as the Tropang Texters fashioned out a
102-95 victory over GlobalPort on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Mitchell
finished with 35 points, while Larry Fonacier, Jayson Castro, and Ranidel De
Ocampo combined for 44 to help Talk ‘N Text snap a two-game losing streak.
The Tropang
Texters improved its win-loss record to 2-2, but had to overcome a tough
challenge from the Batang Pier toward the end.
“We’re not a
very good team right now, so I think every game is gonna be tough,” said Talk
‘N Text coach Norman Black.
“Everything
right now for us is a big struggle. We’re just trying to hang tough out there.”
Talk ‘N Text
was up by 13 points, 98-85, with three minutes left in the game. But GlobalPort
did not surrender, rattling off a 10-2 run to cut the deficit to five points
with 36 seconds left.
Batang Pier
rookie Kelly Nabong had a crucial steal against Tony Mitchell in the next play,
but passed up an easy layup that could have cut the lead further. That led to a
turnover for import Markeith Cummings, allowing Jayson Castro to seal the game
with two free throws with 15.3 seconds left.
Black
admitted that Talk ‘N Text is still a work in progress, with the returning
Gilas players adjusting to playing alongside Mitchell.
“I think
it’s gonna take some time for us to get adjusted, but we’ll just work on it in
practice,” said Black.
Talk ‘N Text
is expected to get another boost with the return of team captain Jimmy Alapag,
who is set to arrive in Manila from a vacation in the United States on Tuesday.
“It will be
a big lift for us when Jimmy comes back, because he’s the leader of this team,”
said Black.
“Hopefully
if he’s in any type of shape, I’ll throw him out there. He’ll play on Friday.”
TNT 102 – Mitchell 35, Fonacier 19,
Castro 12, De Ocampo 11, Reyes 8, Al-Hussaini 6, Anthony 5, Aban 5, Peek 1,
Carey 0.
GLO 95 – Cummings 33, David 15,
Washington 14, Mercado 10, Hayes 8, Alonzo 5, Nabong 4, Lingganay 4, Salvador
2, Buensuceso 0, Miller 0.
QS: 26-19, 49-44, 77-75, 102-95
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| Rabeh Al-Hussaini has something to say to the referee. |
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| Apparently, so does Sol Mercado. |
ALASKA over GINEBRA, 102-99
The Alaska
Aces squandered a huge third quarter lead before charging back in the final
minutes to pull off a thrilling 102-99 victory over Barangay Ginebra San Miguel
on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
It was the
second straight victory in the Governors’ Cup for the Aces, whose win-loss
record improved to 2-1. Alaska won again over Ginebra in their first meeting
since the Aces swept the Gin Kings in the Commissioner’s Cup last May.
Alaska was
comfortably ahead by 16, 56-40, after scoring the first six points of the
second half.
But Ginebra
took control of the third period, outscoring the Aces, 36-14, to take a 76-70
lead heading into the final quarter.
The Gin
Kings were still up, 96-89, after Lowhorn, Baracael, and Mark Caguioa sparked a
7-0 run.
There was no
quit in Alaska, however, as a Wendell McKines three-point play touched off a
10-2 run to take back the lead, 99-98.
Split free
throws by Sonny Thoss gave the Aces a two-point lead with 42.1 seconds
remaining. LA Tenorio drove hard to fish for a foul, but could only manage to
make one of two free throws as Ginebra remained behind by a point, 100-99, with
34.7 seconds left.
Cyrus Baguio
found McKines for a layup with 11 seconds left in the ensuing possession, and
Alaska foiled a couple of Ginebra attempts, including a desperation shot from
Mark Caguioa that drew contact from Dondon Hontiveros, to secure the victory.
“It could’ve
gone either way,” said Alaska coach Luigi Trillo. “We were lucky to get this
one.”
Trillo cited
the effort of McKines, who scored 20 of his 27 points in the second half to
lead the Alaska rally.
“It’s nice
to see Wendell scratch and claw,” said Trillo. “Napipikon siya sa defense nila
(Willy) Wilson and the other guys. He had to play through that.”
McKines
added 16 rebounds and five assists from Alaska, which drew balanced
contributions as five locals scored in double figures, led by Abueva and Baguio
who finished with 18 points apiece.
Ginebra
dropped its second straight game to see its record fall to 1-3. Lowhorn led the
charge for the Gin Kings with 35 points and 17 rebounds, while Baracael sizzled
for 20 points. Mark Caguioa added 16 points for Ginebra.
ALA 102 – McKines 27, Abueva 18, Baguio
18, Espinas 12, Thoss 12, Casio 11, Hontiveros 4, Jazul 0, Eman 0, Dela Cruz 0.
GIN 99 – Lowhorn 35, Baracael 20,
Caguioa 16, Ellis 10, Tenorio 8, Helterbrand 6, Wilson 4, Urbiztondo 0, Mamaril
0.
QS: 24-14, 50-40, 70-76, 102-99
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| Mac Baracael's 20-point outburst was in vain as Ginebra dropped this game to Alaska. |
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| Calvin Abueva (C) celebrates as the Aces turn back the Gin Kings. |
Source: Unless otherwise specified, game
recaps were compressed and compiled from InterAKTV. (Writing credit to Rey
Joble)
Images: Images are from InterAKTV. (Photo
credit to Pranz Kaeno Billones)
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