With their Philippine Cup campaign hanging in the balance, the San Mig Coffee Mixers received a couple of tough blows early in the third quarter of Game Five against Rain or Shine when main man James Yap was called for his fourth and fifth fouls in succession.
But instead of losing hope, the Mixers rallied around the handicap and put together a fine second half effort to turn back the Elasto Painters and extend the series to a Game Six.
“Everyone stepped up for their brother, their leader James,” said San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone.
Yap played just 23 minutes in the game, struggling for two points on 1-of-7 shooting. He did not return until the 5:32 mark of the fourth quarter, with San Mig Coffee already leading, 71-62. Full Story
The scores:
SANMIG COFFEE 79 – Devance 20, Pingris 18, Simon 16, Barroca 11, Reavis 6, Villanueva 3, Gonzales 3, Yap 2, Intal 0.
RAIN OR SHINE 67 – Rodriguez 14, Cruz 9, Lee 8, Ibanes 8, Matias 7, Norwood 5, Belga 4, Quinahan 4, Tang 3, Chan 3, Tiu 2, Arana 0.
Quarters: 17-15, 31-29, 52-50, 79-67
