source: pba.ph

Coca-Cola was grittily determined not to be buried deeper in a hole it was already in.

The Tigers proved this by pulling off a 93-79 shocker over the Purefoods Giants Friday in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

Coke refused to be daunted by a 15-point third-quarter deficit, mostly banking on its veterans to turn the table on a Purefoods squad aiming for a share of second-running spot.

“The players tonight refused to lose, even though we’re struggling,” said Tigers coach Kenneth Duremdes after his team’s breakthrough win in five tries.

“Nagkaroon sila ng sense of urgency na kailangan you have to play no matter what happens at iyun nga ang nangyari.”

Coming into the game last in the league in turnovers (27.7) and scoring (76), the Tigers turned things around by committing just two of their 14 miscues in the second half while Norman Gonzales, Dennis Espino and Wesley Gonzales took turns spearheading their charge from a 43-58 deficit.

“Those were the things I emphasized before the game to the players, na kapag na-limit namin ang turnovers at second chance points ng kalaban me tsansa kami,” said Duremdes.

Also helping along Coke were its torrid 8-for-14 three-point shooting and a 21-of-24 shooting from the stripe in the second half and finishing with a 48-40 advantage off the boards, including a 21-15 superiority in the offensive glass.

Purefoods, which dropped to an even 2-2 slate, actually had a more balanced scoring, with James Yap leading four players with at least 11 points. But save for the first six minutes of the third period, it was outplayed in practically all departments by Coke for the remainder of the game.

Before the Giants knew it, they were staring at a 75-82 deficit, 3:28 to go.

James Yap’s free throw and Kerby Raymundo’s twinner made it a very manageable 78-82 game, but Alex Cabagnot drained a shotclock-beating triple, ushering an 8-1 windup by Coke.

Norman Gonzales scattered 12 of his team-high 17 points in the third period, including two treys that led Coke’s fightback from that 15-point deficit to within 56-60.

The Tigers then drained 11 straight charities spanning the last two quarters to move within 67-71, before Ken Bono’s follow-up and three-pointers by Wesley Gonzales and Singson fueled a 13-2 surge that staked Coke ahead for good, 80-73, 4:17 to go.

Duremdes’ worst fears were seemingly on their way to be realized when his team committed 12 turnovers and gave up 13 points off those miscues in the first half alone. Purefoods also had 10 second chance points off 11 offensive rebounds.

Yet giving the entire team and its fans hope were bolstered by the fact the half remained a nip-and-tuck affair, the teams remaining tied at 36 at the break. (NC)

The scores:

Coca-Cola 93 - Gonzales N. 17, Espino 15, Gonzales W. 13, Bono 8, Ross 7, Macapagal 7, Cabagnot 7, Rodriguez 6, Cruz 6, Singson 5, Catli 2.

Purefoods 79 - Yap J. 15, Raymundo 13, Canaleta 12, Maierhofer 11, Yap R. 9, Pingris 6, Allado 6, Artadi 4, Simon 3, Timberlake 0, Adducul 0.

Quarterscores: 17-18, 36-36, 61-67, 93-79.

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