David, new import lift Tigers over Aces

MANILA, Philippines - Powerade, inspired by arrival of new import Omar Sneed, snapped a two-game skid with main man Gary David erupting for 31 points as the Tigers tore the Alaska Milk Aces to shreds, 114-97, in the PBA Governors Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.

David hit five of nine triples to highlight his torrid shooting and a balanced Powerade offense leading to their first win in three starts in the season-ending tourney.

Sneed, taking over from Rashad McCants, narrowly missed a triple-double game with 13 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, helping the Tigers check a five-game slump dating back to the Commissioner’s Cup.

The Tigers finally got roaring in the Governors Cup with four other local players in Rey Guevarra, Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Jayvee Casio and Jondan Salvador hitting double-digit marks.

In his second outing as a Tiger, Guevarra put in a career-best 15-point game spiked by an electrifying slam late in the third quarter.

Meanwhile, Barangay Ginebra and Meralco are featured in the opener of the PBA Phoenix Fuel on Tour series, both going for a second win in three outings as they clash at 6:45 p.m. tonight at the Hoops Dome in Lapu-Lapu, Cebu.

“The sense of urgency was in our bearing. We thought we can’t afford to go 0-3,” said Powerade coach Bo Perasol.

“Gary (David) played his usual game. I think what’s important was that our bench stepped up tonight,” said Perasol, not overlooking the key contribution of their reserves.

The Powerade reserves outscored their Alaska counterparts, 41-36. Curiously, the Tigers drew a measly average of 15 from their bench in their first two outings.

“Our new import lifted our morale. We’re happy with the move made by our coaching staff to bring in Sneed,” said David.

Remaining as the focal point of the Tigers’ offense, David went 11-of-21 from the floor overall and 4-of-4 from the line.

The Philippine Cup Best Player has been up to the task, being the lone local player in the Top 10 in scoring in the tourney. He was at seventh before the Powerade-Alaska game, norming 25.5 points an outing.

Marc Pingris delivered 11 points and 11 rebounds in his return from a two-game layoff and Marcus Blakely churned out a bigger double-double game with 29 markers and 15 rebounds as B-Meg made it two in a row with a 95-90 win over Barako Bull in the nightcap.

Sneed chose his shots, taking only 11 attempts and making six. He could have easily completed a triple double if not rested by Perasol with over a minute left to play.

Perasol enjoyed the luxury of resting his top guns early as they dominated the Aces, leading by as many as 22.

The Tigers shot 52.2 percent from the field and punished the Aces with 22 fast break points and 27 points off turnovers.

The Aces made just seven fastbreak points and 13 markers off errors by their enemy.

The Tigers led from start to finish though the Aces stayed close behind in the first half.