PBA: Tense San Mig Coffee stay alive and eliminate Air21

Jane Bracher

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It wasn't always pretty but San Mig Coffee got the job done, knocking off Air21 to eliminate them from Philippine Cup contention

WINNING UGLY. It wasn't pretty but Ian Sangalang (pictured) and San Mig Coffee defeated Air21 to eliminate the Express from Philippine Cup contention. Photo by Nuki Sabio/PBA Images

MANILA, Philippines – “Any win at this point is a pretty win, even if it’s ugly it’s still pretty for us.”

Those were the first words San Mig Super Coffee Mixers head coach Tim Cone said after their close win that eliminated the Air21 Express from playoff contention, 67-60, in the PLDT myDSL Philippine Cup on Saturday, January 11 at the Mall of Asia Arena. 

His words were telling of the desperation and urgency surrounding the 2013 Governors’ Cup champions, who have unexpectedly been living near the dungeons of the standings throughout the conference.

“We obviously didn’t play a pretty game today,” Cone said. 

It certainly wasn’t as pretty as how they are used to playing. 

The Mixers appeared tense and unsure of themselves from the get-go and were visibly lacking the kind of confidence that normally came with their every shot attempt from anywhere on the floor. 

The very low first half tally at 29-25 in favor of the Mixers was an indication of their struggles. 

“You can see the pressure on the guys’ shoulders. Everybody’s tense and they’re not making shots like they normally do, they’re not (fluid) with their passes. A lot of fumbling and that usually means the team is really tense,” Cone explained. 

“But if that’s the way we have to play to win right now that’s what we have to do. We’ll just keep playing ugly and keep trying to win.”

One major aspect of their game that hasn’t been as consistent is their three-point shooting. In this game, it was practically non-existent as the Mixers shot dismally from three-point range, going 1-of-9 all throughout. That lone triple coming from a consistent Mark Barroca, who finished in double digits yet again with 11 points. 

“We’re not shooting the ball from the three-point line. We’re shooting horribly from the three,” Cone said, noting that this alone is a sign that his team is not at all peaking just yet. 

He elaborates that they have been missing much of their fluid offense. 

“We’re not getting our shooting percentage in the mid-40s where we need to get to be playing well. Everything is 36 or 38. Until we get that up and get our offense going it’s a struggle.”

The good news for San Mig Coffee is that they shot 14-of-34 or 41.2% from the field in the first 24 minutes of play in this game. They later slightly upped that percentage to 45.6 in the second half. 

However, even their free throws aren’t as steady as they only made 12 of their 23 attempts from the line. 

Adding to their woes is the absence of star James Yap, who sat out the game due to back spasms. 

“We struggled without James (Yap) out there today,” Cone admitted. “We didn’t really have anyone out there to occupy the defense.”

Much of the game was a nip-and-tuck affair up until the early goings of the fourth quarter. But 5 straight points from guard Barroca on a fastbreak and the team’s lone triple at the 7:59 mark allowed San Mig to create some space with a 53-47 advantage over the Express. 

San Mig held the wheel from that point on even as Air21 threatened one last time, 63-60, on a basket by BonBon Custodio with 1:34 remaining. 

But as the Mixers played miserably owing to a turnover with under a minute left, Air21 played even worse. 

The Express basically shot themselves on the foot when they couldn’t convert their shots and capitalize on the wide open window San Mig opened for them. Their chances slipped from their grasp for good with 26 seconds left after a bad inbound caused a turnover, allowing the Mixers to milk the clock and ensure the victory. 

Air21 made 6 treys throughout the game, which allowed them to stick with the Mixers. But they couldn’t complement that with their miserable 17-of-58 (29.3%) field goal shooting. 

Rebounding also went the way of Cone’s wards, 61-51–a good sign that the Mixers are alive and kicking. 

“We’re playing with more effort now than we were at the beginning of the conference,” Cone said. 

The Mixers, who have been marred by various injuries to key players throughout the conference, managed to eke out a win despite a rotation of 9 players, compared to the Express’ 12 guys. 

After much struggling in the Philippine Cup so far, all the Mixers care about at this point is escaping with a win – no matter how they do it.

“It was ugly basketball but right now anything for us in the winning column is beautiful,” Cone said. “We really don’t care whether we win ugly or pretty, we just gotta win.”

Scores

San Mig Coffee (67): Simon 20, De Ocampo 12, Barroca 11, Pingris 7, Devance 6, Sangalang 6, Mallari 3, Reavis 2

Air21 (60): Canaleta 22, Cardona 11, Yeo 9, Taulava 5, Manuel 4, Arboleda 3, Sharma 2, Custodio 2, Camson 2

Quarter scores: 17-12, 29-25, 44-43, 67-60 – Rappler.com

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