BLACKWATER shoots for a franchise-first back-to-back victory against defending champion San Miguel Beer in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup on Wednesday at the PhilSports Arena.
The Elite and the Beermen clash in the main game at 7 p.m., with Blackwater hoping to follow up on its 92-90 victory over Meralco, the franchise’s first triumph in the Philippine Cup after going 0-11 in the same tournament last season.
Meralco (0-2), on the other hand, tries to barge into the win column when it battles sister team Talk ‘N Text (1-1) at 4:15 p.m.
Blackwater leaned on Carlo Lastimosa’s game-winner over Meralco to snap a 13-game losing streak in the All-Filipino tournament dating back to last season.
“We’re still trying to be competitive in the PBA. Our battle cry is to compete and win every game,” said Elite Head Coach Leo Isaac, who drew balanced scoring from his team in beating the Bolts.
“That’s why that victory over Meralco was so important, because we needed confidence in facing San Miguel. Our morale is on the next level after that win,” Isaac added.
The Beermen absorbed their first loss in the Philippine Cup after a 2-0 start, yielding a 99-84 decision to league leader Rain or Shine (3-0) last week.
San Miguel Head Coach Leo Austria blamed his team’s weak inside game after they were transformed into a perimeter-shooting squad by Rain or Shine.
Meralco, meanwhile, hopes to snap a two-game slide against the Tropang Texters (1-1), who are seeking their second straight win after dropping their opening assignment.
“We need to break into the win column and get some momentum going,” Meralco Head Coach Norman Black said.
“Against Talk ‘N Text, we must establish a solid team defense. Jayson Castro will be a main concern but we must also do a good job of defending their outside shooters. Keeping their bigs off the boards will be crucial,” he added.
Talk ‘N Text copped its first win against Mahindra, 101-97, but Head Coach Jong Uichico was not impressed with what he saw in their game against the Enforcers.
“We are not where we should be. We are still groping for form and it’s still a long way to go,” Uichico said. “Percentage-wise, we are about 50 percent.”
Castro exploded for 28 points against Mahindra, while top 2 picks Moala Tautuaa and Troy Rosario each had 12 markers for Talk ‘N Text.
Meralco veteran guard Jimmy Alapag will be facing his former team for the first time since coming out of retirement.