source: pba.ph
BARAKO Bull unloaded another surprise Wednesday and this one is definitely bigger than its first.
Leaning on one big second quarter, the Energy Boosters stumped the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 89-81, to realize their best start in almost two years in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
A 38-point explosion in the said period enabled Barako Bull the to post a 21-point lead that proved to be enough of a cushion and pointed it on its way to a second win in four games, its first victory in the tournament coming at the expense of Coca-Cola via an 81-73 count last October 18.
The Energy Food and Drink franchise has not had such a four-game start in the last three conferences and was, according to coach Leo Isaac, a result of a sterling first half when they battled back from two eight-point deficits to go up by 64-43 at the break..
“We had a great first two quarters and going into the locker room at halftime up by 21 may insurance na kami,” beamed Isaac.
“We knew they were going to come back, but we also knew as long as we do not give them easy points or fastbreaks and as long as we are always there on defense we'll be fine,” he added.
Rain or Shine did stage a rally that brought it within 71-80, midway in the fourth period.
But any hopes the Elasto Painters may have had of avoiding a fourth loss in as many games went for naught when the likes of Alex Dimaunahan, Donbel Belano and Magnum Membrere took turns hitting the clutch shots that keptthe Energy Boosetsr' heads above water in the stretch.
Richard Alonzo notched a career-first double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds while Leo Najorda and Alex Crisano added 14 points each. Alonzo added five assists and Najorda seven rebounds, helping the shorter BarakoBull peg a 51-38 advantage off the boards.
“Iba kasi kapag ginusto ng puso at nakita namang nag-trabaho ng husto ang mga bata kanina,” noted Isaac, whose team only had three wins in the 2009 Fiesta Conference.
Gabe Norwood's 17 points and seven rebounds and Sol Mercado's 14 points and four assists led ROS, which, coincidentally, has not had such a 0-4 start since the 2008 Fiesta Conference, when it was known as Welcoat.
The Elasto Painters actually outscored the Energy Boosters, 38-25, in the second half. But the halftime hole was simply too deep as they went into the fourth period still trailing by 15.
After falling behind by 10-18 and 13-21 in the early goings, Barako Bull turned the game around by outscoring ROS by 25 points in the second quarter, spearheaded by the player deemed the most unlikely to star in a charge.
Crisano scattered all of his points in said period, highlighting the scoring spree with two triples and six straight free throws.
Ogie Menor, Yousif Aljamal and Membrere each had a triple to help plug holes on the Elasto Painters' zone defense, but likewise playing a big factor were their opponents' nine turnovers which the Energy Boosters translated to 17 points.
Four of those ROS turnovers came in the first six minutes of the second when it also went 2-of-5 from the field, enabling BarakoBull to unleash an initial 20-4 run, capped by Crisano's three-point play and surprise trey, for a 46-34 lead.
Crisano also scored eight points and Menor seven in another 18-5 surge gave the Energy Boosters their biggest margin at 64-39.
Rain or Shine's bid to snap out of its funk seemed to be on the right track in the early goings when it led by 18-10, behind Mercado's six first quarter points, and at 21-13, when Norwood and Jeffrei Chan joined in the fray.
Then Barako Bull began ratcheting up its pressure and drew inspiration from a rare triple by forward-center Gilbert Lao to trim the deficit to just 26-30. (NC)
The scores:
Barako Bull 89 - Alonzo 15, Najorda 14, Crisano 14, Menor 9, Membrere 9, Aljamal 7, Dimaunahan 6, Belano 6, Duncil 4, Lao 3, Hubalde 2.
Rain or Shine 81 - Norwood 17, Mercado 14, Arellano 9, Cruz 6, Chan 6, Laure 6, Tang 5, Telan 5, Reyes 4, Arana 3, Ibanes 3, Hrabak 3.
Quarterscores: 26-30, 64-43, 75-60, 89-81.
No comments:
Post a Comment