Paul Lee will return against Barako Bull

Paul Lee will return for Rain or Shine’s final assignment in the elimination round against Barako Bull, according to coach Yeng Guiao.

“That’s my intention,” said Guiao in an exclusive interview. “Parati naman siyang naka-suit up, pero ang question lang is kung kelan siya maglalaro. I intend to use him in our game against Barako Bull to prepare him for the playoffs.”

Lee, last season’s Rookie of the Year, has been joining the team’s practice sessions and looks ready to get back.


“Of course, there’s a difference between practice and actual game. Sa ensayo, iniingatan siya ng mga kakampi niya. Sa laro, teams will attack him and pounce on him,” said Guiao.

The Elasto Painters have recently welcomed another returning player, rookie Chris Tiu, who has played the team’s last two games.

Tiu is excited on the prospect of playing alongside Lee.

“I’m excited. What more can you ask for this team? This team really has strong character and I’m really proud to be part of this group,” said Tiu. “We’ve been playing good basketball, and I think we will be better if we have Paul Lee playing for our team.”

paul lee , rain or shine elasto painters , yeng guiao

PBA Standings as of December 2, 2012

In PBA Super Ball Sunday action, Barako Bull halted two streaks — their own four-game losing skid and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s five-game winning run — after an 83-79 victory over the Gin Kings at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
In the second game, San Mig Coffee survived another late challenge from Rain or Shine, eking out a 93-92 victory.

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	STREAK
Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters	11	2	0.846	-	W4
San Mig Coffee Mixers	9	3	0.5	1.5	W2
Rain or Shine Elasto Painters	8	5	0.615	3	L2
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel	7	6	0.538	4	L1
Meralco Bolts	7	6	0.538	4	W1
Alaska Aces	7	6	0.538	4	W2
Petron Blaze Boosters	6	7	0.462	5	L1
Air 21 Express	4	9	0.308	7	L4
Barako Bull Energy Colas	4	9	0.308	7	W1
GlobalPort Batang Pier	1	11	0.083	9.5	L8

pba standings

San Mig Coffee comes with a twice-to-beat advantage against Rain or Shine

The San Mig Coffee Mixers tightened its grip on second place in the Philippine ciup standings, but not before surviving a scare from the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 93-92, Sunday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.


It was the ninth win in 12 games for the Mixers, who had to make two crucial defensive stops in the last nine seconds to come away with the victory.

San Mig Coffee squandered a double-digit fourth quarter lead against Rain or Shine, which also rallied from a big deficit to win in the two teams’ first meeting.

The Mixers were still up four points, 93-89, with 11.5 seconds when Marc Pingris fouled Jeff Chan from beyond the arc. The Rain or Shine sharpshooter made all three of his free throws, before the Elasto Painters forced a turnover on Peter June Simon, the game’s top scorer with 24 points.

That gave the Elasto Painters two final chances to win the game, but Pingris foiled an attempt by Chan before Rafi Reavis forced Beau Belga into a miss.

With the win, San Mig Coffee moved a game and a half clear of Rain or Shine for second place, which comes with it a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals. The Elasto Painters’ win-loss record dropped to 8-5.

ain or shine elasto painters , san mig coffee mixers

Barako stop Ginebra to win number six

Barako Bull held off a late charge by Barangay Ginebra San Miguel to come away with an 83-79 victory Sunday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

The win comes at a crucial time for Barako Bull, which snapped a four-game losing streak to move into a tie with idle Air 21 for the final quarterfinal spot with identical 4-9 records. The Energy Colas did it at the expense of what had been the hottest team in the tournament, as Ginebra had won five straight matches coming into the game.


“Siguro dahil sa napakagandang laro ng Ginebra last time, the tendency is to go down. But without taking away the effort of the players, we really played a hell of a defense. Ngayon pa lang gumagana yung defense na gusto naming mangyari, which we tried to adopt ever since my good friend coach Junel Baculi was coaching the team,” said Barako Bull coach Bong Ramos, who won his first PBA game since returning to the helm of the squad.

“Our defense was there even during our game against Meralco where we limited Sol Mercado, the No.1 scorer in the league as well as Mark Cardona and Ronjay Buenafe. Sadly, nakalusot lang yung mga role players nila, like Kelly Nabong.”

Barako Bull led for most of the first half, before Ginebra opened with a hot third quarter to briefly take the lead, 39-38, on a Rico Maierhofer layup. But the Energy Colas ended the period with a 13-7 run to take a 52-45 advantage heading into the final period.

The rampage continued for Barako Bull in the fourth quarter, pushing the lead to 11 points, 58-47, on a Ronald Tubid three-pointer. Mark Caguioa scored four points in a quick 6-2 Ginebra run, before Barako Bull rattled off a 10-2 blast to take its biggest lead, 70-55.

There was plenty of fight left in Ginebra, which rallied with Caguioa on the bench once more to cut the Barako advantage to just five points, 76-71. But Roger Yap, who scored 14 points and handed out five assists, hit a crucial three-pointer with less than a minute left to push the lead out of reach, 79-71.

Ronald Tubid scored 18 points to lead five players in double figures for Barako Bull, while Leo Najorda had 12 of his 14 points in the second half.

Ginebra’s win-loss record dropped to 7-6 into a three-way tie for fourth to sixth places with Alaska and Meralco.

The scores:

BARAKO BULL 83 – Tubid 18, Najorda 14, Yap 14, Cruz 10, Seigle 10, Kramer 6, Pennisi 6, Anthony 4, Ballesteros 1.

GINEBRA 79 – Helterbrand 18, Caguioa 13, Ellis 12, Mamaril 12, Maierhofer 8, Tenorio 8, Raymundo 6, Wilson 2, Taha 0, Maliksi 0, Espiritu 0, Hatfield 0.

Quarters: 16-17, 29-26, 52-45, 83-79

barangay ginebra gin kings , san mig coffee mixers

San Mig Coffee against Rain or Shine; Ginebra battles Barako

San Mig Coffee and Rain or Shine collide in a crucial encounter that would take the winner closer to the No. 2 spot in the 2013 PBA Philippine Cup on Sunday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

The Mixers (8-3) and the Elasto Painters (8-4) meet at 6:30 p.m. with the winner getting an inside track for one of the remaining top two spots, with Talk ‘N Text (11-2) is expected to grab the top spot. The first and second place teams will enjoy twice-to-beat advantages in the quarterfinals.

In the opener, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel tries to extend its winning streak against Barako Bull at 4:15 p.m.

“Rain or Shine is always a challenge to play against. We’ve played a number of significant games against them lately and this is another one since the winner will have the inside track on the number two seed,” said San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone.

“We’ve got a healthy lineup for the first time in a long time against them, so we’ll see if that can give us an edge this time.”

San Mig Coffee is coming off an 89-80 win against Air 21 to bounce back from a 29-point defeat at the hands of the Tropang Texters.

The Elasto Painters of coach Yeng Guiao are coming off a 97-90 loss to the Kings to slide to third spot.

“This is our most important game. This will determine our future this conference. If we win, we’re still in the hunt for the top two,” said Guiao.

In the opener, Ginebra hopes to stay in the top four with a win against the slumping Energy Colas.

The Kings are in solo fourth place with a 7-5 win-loss mark while Barako Bull, at 3-9, must win its last two matches to stay on track for at least a playoff for the No. 8 spot.

“Maganda at nananalo kami but we still cannot let our guard down,” said Ginebra coach Siot Tanquingcen. “Barako Bull’s fighting for their life so all out sila. We have to keep our concentration.”

barako bull , barangay ginebra gin kings , rain or shine elasto painters , san mig coffee mixers

Alaska Eliminate GlobalPort

The Alaska Aces took care of business in Dipolog City Saturday, downing a tough GlobalPort side, 101-95, for their second straight win in the Philippine Cup.

Calvin Abueva led Alaska with 21 points and 12 rebounds in his second game back from illness, which has coincided with the Aces’ return to their winning ways after four straight defeats.

The result took the Batang Pier officially out of contention after suffering their 11th loss in 12 games, while giving the Aces a better chance at finishing in at least sixth to avoid a twice-to-beat disadvantage in the quarterfinals.

But Alaska had to survive a late scare from GlobalPort, which rode on the hot hand of Rey Guevarra to cut a 12-point fourth quarter deficit down to just two points, 79-77. The Aces responded with seven straight points to gain more breathing room.


The Batang Pier still had plenty of fight in them, as Guevarra strung four straight points to keep within striking distance, 86-81, with two minutes left. Steady free throw shooting by JVee Casio and Tony Dela Cruz, however, put the game out of reach late despite a spree of three-point shooting from Willie Miller.

Alaska’s win-loss record improved to 7-6 to tie Meralco at fifth and sixth spots, one game ahead of seventh-placed Petron.

Placing at least sixth is crucial for any team, since the seventh- and eighth-place teams have to beat twice the second- and first-place teams, respectively, to advance to the semifinals. The third-place team faces the sixth-place team while the fourth- and fifth-placer battle in best-of-three quarterfinals series.

The scores:

ALASKA 101 – Abueva 21, Casio 18, Baguio 11, Dela Cruz 11, Baracael 11, Espinas 10, Jazul 7, Eman 4, Reyes 2, Hontiveros 2, Thoss 2, Belasco 2, Laure 0.

GLOBALPORT 95 – Miller 22, Guevarra 17, Manuel 16, David 7, Salvador 6, Mandani 6, Deutchman 5, Yee 4, Vanlandingham 4, Antonio 3, Lingganay 2, Vergara 2, Al-Hussaini 1, Crisano 0.

Quarters: 28-25, 46-40, 73-61, 101-95
-InterAKTV

alaska aces , calvin abueva , globalport

Ginebra hopes to extend its winning streak; Meralco eyes a bounce-back game against Barako Bull

Meralco eyes a bounce-back game while Barangay Ginebra San Miguel hopes to extend its winning streak to five as they battle separate foes in the crucial double-header of the 2013 PBA Philippine Cup on Friday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

The Bolts face Barako Bull in the opener at 4:15 p.m. while the Kings entangle with Air 21 in the main tiff at 6:30 p.m.

Ginebra and Meralco are tied in the standings at 6-6 and they try to stay in the hunt for a top four finish after the elimination phase.

Their opponents are in a must-situation with the Express clinging on the No. 8 spot with 4-8 mark while the Energy Cola are a shade behind with 3-8.


“The game tomorrow is very important for us. ‘Yung mindset kailangan pang-playoff kasi sila rin ganoon,” said Kings mentor Siot Tanquingcen.

“Maganda rin nilalaro ng Air21. Breaks of the game lang sa end game kaya natatalo. Dapat focus kami sa execution ng offense at defense,” he added.




Express coach Franz Pumaren knows Ginebra is on a roll and they need to bring their best game to stand a chance.

“Crucial game for us. We are playing a team on a winning streak. We need everybody to contribute, stay focus and stick to our game plan because the crowd will be a big factor,” said Pumaren.

The Air 21-Ginebra encounter marks the first time Mike Cortez will be facing his former team since he was traded to the Express for big man Yousef Taha.

In the opener, the Bolts try to bounce back from an 88-85 defeat at the hands of Alaska with a victory over the Energy Cola of coach Bong Ramos.

“We didn’t close out a close game the way we wanted to against Alaska. Another situation must be corrected. We will persevere. We want to bounce back strong after a tough loss,” said Meralco mentor Ryan Gregorio.
-InterAKTV

air 21 express , barako bull , barangay ginebra san miguel , meralco bolts

PBA Standings as of November 25, 2012

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel unleashed its never-say-die spirit and turned back Rain or Shine, 97-90, to extend its winning streak to four games. Talk ‘N Text assured itself of a playoff for an automatic semifinal seat after nipping Air21, 100-94, in the 2013 PBA Philippine Cup Sunday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	STREAK
Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters	10	2	0.818	-	W2
San Mig Coffee Mixers	8	3	0.727	1	W1
Rain or Shine Elasto Painters	8	4	0.727	1.5	L1
Meralco Bolts	6	5	0.545	3	W1
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel	6	5	0.500	3	W4
Petron Blaze Boosters	6	6	0.500	3.5	W3
Alaska Aces	5	6	0.455	4	L4
Air 21 Express	4	8	0.364	5.5	L3
Barako Bull Energy Colas	3	8	0.273	6	L3
GlobalPort Batang Pier	1	10	0.091	8	L7

pba standings

'It was a hard decision', said Tanquingcen after benching Caguioa

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel pulled off another trademark come-from-behind win over Rain or Shine Sunday night, but this time, Mark Caguioa watched his team do it from the bench.

After the game, coach Siot Tanquingcen explained his decision to take out the reigning Most Valuable Player in the crucial stretches of the fourth quarter, when the Gin Kings completed its comeback from a 17-point deficit.



“He was really not his usual self tonight,” said Tanquingcen. “Even yung mga free throws niya, nag-struggle siya. He’s a good free throw shooter, pero tonight, sumablay siya ng dalawang sunod.”

Tanquingcen added that it wasn’t an easy choice, especially with how Caguioa has carried the team over the past few games.




“It was a hard decision. In fact, we were debating on it with the coaching staff,” said Tanquingcen.

“Mahirap dahil siya yung tipo ng tao na gusto mong kasama mo sa giyera. But he was struggling. Yung ibang tira niya was even short and he was not in his usual element.”

Caguioa shots just 6-of-22 from the field and 4-of-9 from the foul line. Despite struggling with his touch, Caguioa still managed to score 18 points, the second-most for the team.
-Rey Joble, InterAKTV

barangay ginebra gin kings , mark caguioa , robert jaworski , siot tanquingcen

Ginebra unleashed its never-say-die spirit and turned back Rain or Shine

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel unleashed its never-say-die spirit and turned back Rain or Shine, 97-90, to extend its winning streak to four games in the 2013 PBA Philippine Cup Sunday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

The Gin Kings crawled back from a 17-point deficit midway through the third quarter, holding the Elasto Painters to just one field goal in the final 2:33 to join Meralco in fourth place with a 6-5 win-loss mark.

LA Tenorio dished out a near triple-double performance with 20 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists and piloted Ginebra’s rally in the fourth quarter.


Mark Caguioa added 18 points, though he was not around when the Kings made the run. Rookie Chris Ellis chipped in 15 points and punctuated their team’s victory with a reverse windmill dunk that pegged the final score.

“We came out really flat. The good thing, we stuck together and got through this one,” said Ginebra coach Siot Tanquingcen, who also drew 12 points from Billy Mamaril.

“We really struggled. Other people just stepped up and it’s a good indication for our team.”

Jayjay Helterbrand came off the bench and contributed six points, seven rebounds and five assists while rookie Yousef Taha also provided quality minutes in the fourth period with his hustle plays on defense.

Rain or Shine, which dropped to third place with a 8-4 mark, led by 15 at the half, 57-42, and was still in control after TY Tang hit a triple to start the final quarter for a 78-69 lead.

But Tenorio anchored a momentum-swinging 14-8 exchange he capped with a three-pointer to close in at 86-83 with 2:53 remaining.

Jeff Chan push the Rain or Shine to five points, 88-83, with a running jumper with 2:33 left in the game. But the Gin Kings unloaded 10-0 blast to take a 93-88 lead with just 16.7 seconds left.

JR Quinahan ended Rain or Shine’s drought with an undergoal stab but time was not on their side, allowing Ginebra to pull off another escape act.

Jervy Cruz led the Elasto Painters with 17 points and 12 rebounds and was 13-of-13 from the free throw line. Larry Rodriguez added 14 points, while rookie Chris Tiu returned from injury and contributed eight.

The scores:

GINEBRA 97 – Tenorio 20, Caguioa 18, Ellis 15, Mamaril 12, Wilson 9, Maierhofer 7, Helterbrand 6, Taha 4, Espiritu 2, Raymundo 2, Hatfield 2, Labagala 0.

RAIN OR SHINE 90 – Cruz 17, Rodriguez 14, Tang 12, Chan 11, Quinahan 10, Tiu 8, Arana 8, Belga 7, Matias 3, Norwood 0.

Quarters: 20-33, 42-57, 69-75, 97-90
-InterAKTV

barangay ginebra gin kings , la tenorio , rain or shine elasto painters