Rafi Reavis swipe out the ball as San Mig Coffee wins over Barako Bull

Rafi Reavis made a heady play in the dying seconds to help San Mig Coffee preserve a 92-91 victory over Barako Bull in a thrilling finish in the 2013 PBA Philippine Cup Sunday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Reavis swatted the ball away from the cylinder on an attempt by Rico Villanueva with about two seconds remaining to secure the much-needed win for the Coffee Mixers.

“I don’t see any controversy there. That’s legal in our league,” said San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone.

“We’re using FIBA rule [on goaltending]. You can knock the ball on the rim. It’s not the NBA rule anymore. And it was really a smart play by Rafi. He keeps on doing that since they changed the rule four or five years ago.”

It was a sorry loss for the Energy Colas, who trailed by as much as 12 points in the third period before rallying back in the fourth quarter behind Ronald Tubid.

James Yap led all scorers with 21 points but missed a couple of shots in the closing minutes that allowed Barako Bull to get back in the contest.

Peter June Simon added 15 points, including the marginal basket, while rookie Aldrech Ramos had his best game with 10 for the Mixers, who snapped a two-game skid for a 3-2 win-loss mark.

Tubid had 17 points and was responsible for putting his team on top with back-to-back three-pointers and a feed to Villanueva to give Barako Bull 91-90 lead with 1:18 remaining.

Simon reclaimed the lead for San Mig Coffee after he followed up a Yap’s missed jumper, 92-91, with just 19.4 seconds left on the clock.

Then came the controversial finish as Villanueva’s attempt, which appeared to be trickling in, was denied by Reavis, who tapped the ball while on the rim as time expired.

Barako Bull players and officials vehemently protested the non-goal tending call.

“They should let the players decide. If you asked my opinion, it was counted,” said Barako Bull coach Junel Baculi, who will confer with the management about what steps to take. “Sayang. We were robbed of the win.”

Villanueva added 16 points for Barako Bull, whose record fell to 2-4.

The scores:

San Mig Coffee (92) – Yap 21, Simon 15, Ramos 10, Barroca 9, Gonzales 9, Pingris 9, De Ocampo 8, Devance 5, Reavis 5, Villanueva 1.

Barako Bull (91) – Tubid 17, Villanueva 16, Urbiztondo 14, Kramer 12, Pennisi 12, Najorda 9, Yap 5, Anthony 4, Cervantes 2, Alvarez 0, Ballesteros 0.

Quarters: 17-24, 42-48, 66-61, 92-91
-InterAKTV