UP wallops way to 4th victory
Alab Pilipinas threw away a golden chance at completing its big comeback and suffered a heartbreaking 79-77 loss to the Westports Malaysia Dragons yesterday in the ASEAN Basketball League at the House of Champions in Cyberjaya, Malaysia. The visiting Alab cagers erased a 12-point deficit to start the fourth quarter behind a fiery offensive showing by forward Robby Celiz, who topscored with 23 points, to take a 77-73 lead with less than two minutes remaining. But Alab squandered that lead as the Dragons tied it up at 77-all on a layup by world import Kiwi Gardner with 55 seconds remaining.
Games Wednesday (The Arena, San Juan City) 8 a.m. – Ateneo vs UE (men’s) 10 a.m. – La Salle vs Adamson (men’s) 2 p.m. – Ateneo vs Ue (women’s) 4 p.m. – La Salle vs Adamson (women’s)
University of the Philippines (UP) overcame a hard-fought third-set loss and turned back a tough University of Santo Tomas (UST), 25-22, 25-22, 29-31, 2519, yesterday to remain undefeated in the UAAP women’s volleyball tournament at The Arena in San Juan City.
The Lady Maroons wasted four match point advantages in the third frame but returned with more composure in the fourth to pick up their fourth straight victory in as many outings.
Diana Carlos bannered UP’s offense with 16 kills for 18 points, but it was skipper Arielle Estranero’s 53 excellent sets that proved vital in the team’s campaign.
Isa Molde also shone for the Lady Maroons with 14 points,
Game Today (Mall of Asia Arena) 7 p.m. – San Miguel vs TNT (Series tied 3-3)
Joe Devance provided the big impact Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and its legion of fans had been waiting for since his return from a foot injury as the Gin Kings defeated the Star Hotshots, 91-67, to force their PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series to a deciding seventh game last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Devance played his best game of the series by firing all of his 14 points in the third quarter that saw Ginebra breaking away from a 52-all standoff in the third and made it a lopsided affair that forged a winner-take-all match for the right to face either San Miguel or TNT KaTropa in the finals.
“What a Manila Clasico be without a Game 7? I guess this is the way it's meant to be,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone.
Ginebra and Star slug it out for that even as Nicole Tiamzon chipped in 13 points.
UP crawled back from a 23-20 deficit in the third set to get a 2423 lead, only to wilt under Cherry Rondina and EJ Laure’s attacks.
But the Lady Maroons showed tenacity and maturity in the fourth, where they protected their early 8-6 lead until the end.
In the other game, defending champion La Salle dealt National University its first loss with a 2927, 25-16, 25-21 victory. spot tomorrow night at the Mall of Asia Arena – a schedule that seemed to be expected since the series started about two weeks ago. Game 7 became a reality thanks to Devance, who had been used for bits of the previous games to deal with plantar fasciitis on his left foot.
“Joe has been an inspiration for us with his resolve and his ability to keep on battling,” said Cone of his longtime player from their days with Alaska and Star, adding that Devance was injected twice minutes before tipoff.
Ginebra's top guns responded from a frustrating showing in Game 5 to avoid elimination that prompted Cone to bench them throughout the fourth quarter of that 89-80 loss.
Sol Mercado topscored with 21 points, LA Tenorio had 15 of his 19 points in the first quarter and Jervy Cruz and Japeth Aguilar delivered 11 points each for Ginebra.
Marc Pingris played his usual toughness on both ends with 14 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks while Mark Barroca added 13 points and four assists. But the Hotshots' perennial leader got little contributions from the likes of Allein Maliksi and Paul Lee.
Maliksi had a hot start with seven points but went cold the rest of the way to finish with just nine. Lee's struggles since his impressive first two games continued with only eight points on another 3-of-13 shooting.
The Hotshots appeared ready to finish it off at the start, leading 22-11, prompting Cone to call three quick timeouts. However, Ginebra responded with a huge way with Tenorio and company going on a 19-0 run bridging the first and second periods to lead 30-22.
Pingris and Barroca, however, keyed a Star rally and led 39-38 at the half. The Hotshots scored their first two baskets of the third for a 43-38 lead, setting the stage for Devance to deliver the goods for Ginebra.
Mercado 21, Tenorio 19, Devance 14, Aguilar 11, Cruz 11, Ferrer 6, Taha 3, Jamito 2, Thompson 2, Helterbrand 1, Ellis 1, Caguioa 0, Mariano 0, Marcelo 0.
Pingris 14, Barroca 13, Maliksi 9, Lee 8, Ramos 6, Melton 4, Jalalon 4, Reavis 4, Sangalang 3, Brondial 2, Abundo 0, Dela Rosa 0, Simon 0.
Quarters: 25-22; 38-39; 62-54; 91-67.