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AGAINST
a team that showed a lot of determination, the Magnolia
Beverage Masters needed to dig deep into their defensive
arsenal and a couple of jolting trey from Lordy Tugade
to avoid another impending heartbreaker.
Tugade
unleashed 13 of his game-high 21 points in the fourth
quarter to anchor a fiery comeback by Magnolia on the
way to an 89-78 victory over the Coca-Cola Tigers last
night in the Smart-Philippine Basketball Association
Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
It
looked like it would be another frustrating night for
Magnolia as the Beverage Masters struggled to get their
rhythm–offensive and defensively—against an energized
Coca-Cola unit that kept its star-studded opponents
reeling for most part of the game.
With
their shots missing its target so badly, the Beverage
Masters turned their focus on defense.
It
worked wonders.
Magnolia’s perfectly executed zone forced the Tigers
from taking their shots from the outside and eventually
committed crucial turnovers.
By the
time the Tigers showed signs of cracking up, Tugade
suddenly found his shooting touch and completed the
annihilation of Coca-Cola.
After
Mark Telan (13 points, 11 rebounds) made two free throws
to tie the count at 70, Tugade conspired with Dondon
Hontiveros and veteran playmaker Olsen Racela in
unleashing what turned out to a deadly 9-0 blast over a
five-minute stretch.
Telan
knocked a three-pointer to pull Coke to within 73-79
with 3:05 remaining, but Tugade quickly answered with
two treys of his own as Magnolia all but sealed the game
for its third win in four starts.
“We made
a little adjustment down the stretch. Good thing the
zone worked,” said Magnolia coach Siot Tanquingcen.
“But
we’re still struggling. We’re still trying to get
everybody in the grovee specially the starters. I’m
trying to give everybody their minutes but right now
it’s not possible,” he added.
Ali Peek
scored 16 points and cornered 11 rebounds and rookie
Ronjay Buenafe and John Arigo had 11 apiece for Coke,
which picked its second loss in three games.
Three-pointers by Chester Tolomia, Ronjay Enrile and
Ricky Calimag midway in the second quarter put Coke in
control 40-33.
The
Tigers stretch their lead to 52-40 on free throws by
Telan early in the fourth, but they started to lose grip
as their shooting turned sour. Coke shot a woeful 28
percent (six-of-21) from the field in the third and
trailed Magnolia 65-62 heading to the final period. They
never led again. |
