Yeo torches Purefoods for lopsided Ginebra win in ‘Manila Clasico’

Jane Bracher

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Yeo torches Purefoods for lopsided Ginebra win in ‘Manila Clasico’
Joseph Yeo knocks down 5 triples in his Manila Clasico debut

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED)— On a night when Purefoods was celebrating its legacy with the jersey retirement of its former stars, fierce rivals Barangay Ginebra San Miguel stole the show and walloped the Purefoods Star Hotshots, 89-66, in the season’s first ‘Manila Clasico’ during the 2015 PBA Philippine Cup Sunday, November 9 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

In his first ‘Manila Clasico’ appearance, Joseph Yeo torched the Hotshots with 17 points on 5-of-8 three-point shooting to go with 5 assists.

Yeo dropped 12 of his output to lead a 28-17 Ginebra third quarter blast that left Purefoods shaken and unable to recover from the double-digit deficit.

“The only thing I can think of is the 9-day break hurt them more than it helped them,” Ginebra head coach Jeff Cariaso shared what he felt contributed to his team’s blowout victory. “After winning last game (against Globalport) for them, knowing coach Tim, I think he’d prefer to be playing the next day and keep the ball rolling.”

He added, “Having said that, I’d like to give credit to all the players on my team who are really starting to understand on a daily basis what it takes to be successful.”

The Gin Kings zipped to a 10-0 start of the game and although the Grand Slam champions (as San Mig Coffee) managed to trim the deficit to just 38-32 by halftime, Ginebra’s better execution and unshakeable rhythm left no room for a comeback.

Three triples from Yeo – who was acquired via a trade from Air21 before the season – within two minutes midway in the third put Ginebra up by 57-38.

In the payoff period, a hard-fighting Mark Barroca (9 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists) took Purefoods to within 12, 68-56, with 9:18 remaining.

But Japeth Aguilar (11 points, 8 rebounds) responded with a three-point play, which was followed by 4 straight points from Billy Mamaril (12 points, 13 rebounds) and Mark Caguioa (7 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists) to restore the cushion and stop the rally.

“They really followed our game plan, they were precise. I’m really happy about that,” Cariaso said.

Big man Greg Slaughter wound up with 14 points and 13 rebounds while Mac Baracael added 13 markers.

Rookie big man Rodney Brondial also had a productive 10 minutes with 6 points.

Despite the second biggest winning margin Ginebra had this conference and their 4-1 record, Cariaso is adamant the team is still a work in progress.

“We’re still far from where we want, we can’t be too happy but for tonight, job well done.”

PJ Simon, who brought Purefoods to within 36-32 before halftime as his team climbed out of a 14-point hole, led all Hotshots with 15 points.

Joe Devance and Marc Pingris added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

James Yap, who played for nearly 30 minutes despite a hamstring injury, added 7 points and 3 rebounds.

Purefoods fell to a 1-3 record.

Cariaso also had success in his personal battle with his mentor Tim Cone as he scored his first win over the winngest coach in PBA history.

“It feels good, of course,” he admitted and definitively said one win does not mean he has Cone’s number.

“It’s always a challenge and it’s always gonna be special if it’s coach Tim. Always.”

The win halted the Purefoods’ (then San Mig Coffee) 3-game win streak over Ginebra in their previous meetings. Prior to this game, Purefoods was 7-4 over Ginebra last season, according to PBA Head Statistician Fidel Mangonon III.

The most lopsided ‘Manila Clasico’ game, also per Mangonon, was in the All-Filipino Cup semifinals on March 24, 1998 where Gordon’s Gin routed Purefoods, 119-84.

Scores:

GINEBRA (89) – Yeo 17, Slaughter 14, Baracael 13, Mamaril 12, Aguilar 11, Tenorio 7, Caguioa 7, Brondial 6, Helterbrand 2, Monfort 0, Forrester 0, Urbiztondo 0, Reyes 0, Ellis 0.

PUREFOODS (66) – Simon 15, Devance 11, Pingris 10, Barroca 9, Mallari 8, Yap 7, Taha 3, Melton 2, Allado 1, Reavis 0, Holstein 0, Gaco 0, Maliksi 0, Matias 0.

Quarterscores: 19-10, 38-32, 66-49, 89-66

Here are some photos of the game taken by Nuki Sabio/PBA Images

— Rappler.com

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