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| Marqus Blakely proved, once again, that he deserves to be called "Mr. Everything." |
Game Notes:
- “Mr. Everything” Marqus Blakely did pretty much, well, everything again as the Mixers drew first blood in their semifinal match-up with the Tropang Texters. Blakely shot 7/13 form the field to score 20 points on top of 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocked shots.
- In contrast, it seems Paul Harris fell too much in love with his outside shot. Harris is a streaky shooter, but in this game he connected on just 3 of his 11 attempts from beyond the arc. He shot 5/19 overall and finished with 17 points.
- With ace guard PJ Simon out nursing an injury, Mark Barroca, Allein Maliksi, and James Yap stepped up for SMC. Yap dropped 13 markers, while Barroca hit some big shots in the clutch. Maliksi, for his part, forced overtime with a big three late in the fourth period.
- The PF combo of Marc Pingris and Ian Sangalang also impressed with a combined 19 points and 20 rebounds. Sangalang collared 14 caroms, while Ping paired up with Barroca to spearhead SMC’s finishing kick in overtime.
- Coach Tim Cone has some added problems, however, as James Yap injured his foot and Joe Devance left the game in the final frame with back spasms.
Game recap by Rey Joble/InterAKTV:
SAN MIG SUPER COFFEE over TALK N TEXT, 92-88 (OT)
The San Mig Super Coffee Mixers outlasted the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters, 92-88, to win Game One of their PLDT Home Telpad Governors’ Cup semifinals series on Thursday at SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
The Mixers banked on their tough defense to move two wins away from returning to the finals for the fourth straight tournament.
“We just kinda battled, stayed in the game to give ourselves a chance in the end,” said San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone.
The Tropang Texters were in solid control, opening up a commanding 75-66 lead with 5:30 to play after a jumper from Ranidel De Ocampo.
With the game on the line, the Mixers dug deep on defense, allowing only one basket for the rest of regulation.
Allein Maliksi forced overtime with a three-pointer from the baseline with 12.3 seconds, capping a 12-2 run that tied the game at 77-all.
Ranidel De Ocampo gave Talk ‘N Text its last taste of the lead with a three-pointer, 82-80, early in overtime.
Mark Barroca and Marc Pingris, struggling all game long on offense, then took the Mixers home, teaming up to score the next nine points of the match to finally put the Tropang Texters away.
Reigning Best Import Marqus Blakely put up monster numbers anew, living up to his Mr. Everything nickname with 20 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, three steals, and three blocks. More importantly, he shut down counterpart Paul Harris down the stretch.
After making a banked-in three-pointer at the 6:43 mark of regulation, Harris didn’t score again until the dying seconds of overtime with the game already decided.
The Mixers won their second straight game despite the absence of leading local scorer Peter June Simon, who was still out with back spasms. Top gun James Yap was also unable to finish the game, suffering a foot injury in the final period after scoring 13 points.
But San Mig Coffee drew balanced scoring from its deep roster, with seven players scoring at least nine points.
“We lost PJ, then James hurt his foot. Joe (Devance) left the game in the fourth with back spasms,” said Cone.
“The guys we have right now are battling and grinding.”
The defeat spoiled a sensational game from Talk ‘N Text star guard Jayson Castro, who finished with 24 points. De Ocampo chipped in 19 points while Harris finished with a tournament-low 17.
SMC 92 – Blakely 20, Yap 13, Barroca 11, Maliksi 10, Pingris 10, Devance 9, Sangalang 9, Mallari 6, Melton 4, Reavis 0.
TNT 88 – Castro 24, De Ocampo 19, Harris 17, Williams 9, Alapag 5, Fonacier 4, Baclao 4, Reyes 3, Canaleta 3, Carey 0.
QS: 18-22, 39-40, 62-65, 77-77, 92-88
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| When will SMC's PJ Simon return to action? |
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| TNT's Paul Harris scored a conference-low 17 points in the Game 1 loss. |
Images by Nuki Sabio/PBA.
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