Big Game James bounces back, Mixers grab 3-2 lead

MANILA, Philippines -- James Yap knocked in this time practically the same crucial three-point attempt that he missed the last time, and San Mig Coffee moved within a win of a second straight PBA Finals on a 79-76 nail-biter over Barangay Ginebra Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Yap was 2-of-14 from the field when he once again found himself in a spot.

Without hesitation, Yap took the challenge, though, rifling in a trey off Mac Baracael from the left quartercourt to push the Mixers ahead, 78-76, with 13.4 ticks left.

And then for Ginebra, LA Tenorio bravely took matters into his own hands and ended up the goat in bungling two drives in the last 10 seconds of the pivotal contest.

In their final possession, Tenorio surprised everybody in the jampacked playing venue – and those watching on TV – as he drove to the basket in the closing seconds when they were trailing by three at 76-79.

His mental lapse in those dying seconds went with six errors he committed in the contest.

“I wasn’t sure myself if we’re up by two or by three, and I can’t blame LA. He got caught up in the moment,” said San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone.

“It’s the ‘Manila Classico.’ It should come down to that last possession,” Cone also said after they pulled through in the gripping battle and took the three-game-to-two lead in the best-of-seven semifinal series.

Mark Barroca, Marc Pingris, PJ Simon and Rafi Reavis were the other Mixers who played big in the contest, giving San Mig Coffee two cracks at arranging a repeat of their 2012 Governors Cup finale with Rain or Shine.

The Mixers take their first shot at closing out the series in Game Six set at 8 p.m. on Monday also at the Big Dome.

Game Five was a dogfight that could have gone either way.

The Mixers took the biggest lead in the game at 66-57 on a 10-to-nothing run in the fourth quarter but the Kings were quick to fight back, unleashing a 15-6 counterattack to pull even at 72.

And the two teams engaged in a toe-to-toe battle to the finish.

A 15-foot jumper by Chis Ellis gave Ginebra its last taste of the lead at 76-75 then Yap got his big moment.

Joe Devance drained a trey to tie the count at 21-all at the end of the opening quarter, then the Mixers pounced on consecutive errors by Tenorio to surge ahead, 39-34, in the second period.

The Mixers outscored the Kings, 16-9, on points off turnovers in the first half.

The San Mig second-string guards established good rhythm for the Mixers, turning a six-point deficit to a six-point lead before closing the half at 46-44.

Barroca delivered 11 points, three rebounds, three steals, two assists and one in a productive first half while Alex Mallari added six markers, two boards, one assist and one steal.