SMBeer survives hot Air21

MANILA, Philippines - Jay Washington nailed two free throws and blocked a three-point shot by Beau Belga in the last 16 seconds of play as San Miguel Beer bucked Gabe Freeman’s early exit on fouls to edge Air21, 92-87, in the PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum last night.

Alex Cabagnot, a former Sta. Lucia Realtor, Coke Tiger and BK Whopper, made a decent debut in a San Miguel uniform, piling up 13 points and six assists to help the Beermen start their title-retention bid on a winning note.

Freeman had produced 23 points and 19 rebounds when he fouled out with still 2:22 left and San Miguel ahead by only five at 86-81.

Air21 threatened at 87-88 but San Miguel pulled through on key plays by Washington and Cabagnot in the closing seconds.

The Express put up a tough challenge with Keena Young delivering 23 points and 21 rebounds and local teammates Ronjay Buenafe and Belga adding double-digit outputs.

Earlier, James Penny marked another return stint in the local pro league with a near triple-double job, and Coca-Cola got off to rousing start with a 97-74 whipping of Barako Energy Coffee.

Penny led a vicious Coca-Cola attack in the fourth quarter giving the Tigers an auspicious debut in the tourney where they finished eighth the last time.

The former Texas Christian U star churned out 27 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists to prove he’s as dependable as ever.

He’s in his fourth tour of duty in the PBA after leading Red Bull to the championship in 2006 then to a third-place finish the following year before moving over to Coca-Cola last season. He has PBA career averages of 24.6 points, 13.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.7 blocks.

“I’m back and I intend to win. Our team is looking pretty good,” said Penny.

“We challenged James, and he responded well. I told him we need him to be a scorer,” said Coca-Cola coach Bo Perasol.

“I also told him that they (other teams and fans) are not talking about him. They are talking about the other imports but we believe that he’s the best,” Perasol added.

Penny had back-to-back slams touching off a decisive assault that opened an 84-64 bulge for the Tigers.

Gary David, Asi Taulava and Norman Gonzales put in tremendous help offensively while RJ Rizada had a big hand on the defensive end.

Sammy Monroe, who erupted for 39 points in a triumphant debut versus Sta. Lucia on opening day, was held down to 25 this time, going 0-of-6 in the field while guarded by Rizada.

David fired 17 points, Taulava tossed in 11 while Gonzales added nine, all coming in the payoff period.

The Tigers, seventh placers in the recent Philippine Cup, took command early, leading by 15 points, 42-27, at the half, but the Coffee Masters waged a fierce chase to come to within four in the third quarter.

Barako was still within striking distance at 60-67 before Penny, Gonzales, David and Taulava combined in a sizzling run to rip the game wide open, 82-63.

Coca-Cola took double-digit spreads right in the first quarter and enjoyed a lead as many as 17 in the second period.

The scores:

First Game

Coca-Cola 97 — Penny 27, David 17, Taulava 11, Gonzales 9, Lanete 6, Rizada 6, Espino 6, Macapagal 5, Bono 4, Allera 3, Cruz 2, Ross 1, Rodriguez 0.

Barako Coffee 74 — Monroe 25, Alonzo 10, Vergara 6, Aljamal 6, Dimaunahan 6, Wainwright 6, Najorda 5, Menor 4, Duncil 4, Reyes 2, Gaco 0, Faundo 0, Hubalde 0.

Quarterscores: 20-12, 42-27, 65-53, 97-74

Second Game

San Miguel 92 – Freeman 23, Washington 19, Cabagnot 13, Peña 12, Pennisi 9, Santos 4, Hontiveros 4, Yeo 3, Miranda 3, Villanueva 2, Ildefonso 0.

Air21 87 – Young 23, Buenafe 13, Belga 12, Matias 9, Ritualo 8, Kramer 4, Sharma 4, Alvarez 4, Gonzales 4, Williams 3, Cortez 3, Billones 0, Yee 0.

Quarterscores: 21-20, 44-39, 70-62, 92-87