PBA: Barroca helps San Mig Coffee barge into the semis

Sophomore Mark Barroca was having a miserable Philippine Cup, but the former Smart Gilas point guard came to play when the San Mig Coffee Mixers needed him most. Barroca hit a big triple late in regulation, and then canned a pair of charities in overtime to lift SMC over their sister team, the Petron Blaze Boosters, 92-87, Thursday, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. With the game tied at 76-all, Mark Barroca scooped up the loose ball after June Mar Fajardo lost the rebound and nailed a huge triple, a play which was topped a few seconds later when Arwind Santos countered with his version of a trey, 10.6 seconds left. James Yap attempted a game-winner, but the shot fell short, forcing overtime. After Jay Washington drew first blood in the extra period, a 6-0 San Mig Coffee blast put them in the driver's seat with 2:46 left. An Alex Cabagnot drive ate into their deficit to make it a two-point game, but the Mixers managed to keep their heads above water. Barroca made it a four-point game again, 89-85, with 1:21 left, but June Mar Fajardo scored down low with 27 ticks remaining. Now forced to foul, Petron sent Barroca to the line after killing nearly 15 seconds of time, and the "Coffee Prince" made it a two-possession game again, this time for good.

 

The win allowed the Mixers to advance to the semifinals, thanks to their twice-to-beat advantage. SMC had beaten the Blazers 90-84 in their sole elimination round encounter.  

The first quarter began with sloppy play from both sides. San Mig Coffee were smothered by strong defensive pressure by Petron, but the Boosters couldn't convert their extra possessions and easy looks around the rim.

 

Petron began to pick up steam midway through the quarter. Arwind Santos and June Mar Fajardo scored in the paint, and Marcio Lassiter and Alex Cabagnot drained triples for a 10-4 run. 

 

However, the Mixers toughened up on defense and allowed only a single Petron basket- a floater by Lassiter- in the last four and a half minutes. San Mig's perimeter guys then went to work. Joe Devance, James Yap and PJ Simon put together an 11-2 run, registering two triples, to knot the game at 17-all after the first quarter.

 

In the second quarter, the Boosters went often to Fajardo at the post but with limited success. Nevertheless, Petron steadily racked up hustle points off turnovers and offensive rebounding, and they took a 24-18 lead as Santos drained a short jumper.

 

But it was San Mig's turn to get up in a hurry. Midway through the quarter, Yap found his range and scored eight straight points off long jumpers. Mark Pingris and Devance found post-up opportunities, as San Mig threw in a couple fastbreak buckets to cap a 17-6 rally, 35-35.

 

The Boosters recovered in the last three minutes where they shut out San Mig from the field. Lassiter and Chris Lutz stroked the ball from range to as Petron tied things up again at halftime, 39-39.

 

Yap notched 14 points in the period and totaled 16 after two quarters.

 

Fajardo broke loose when play resumed as Petron dove to the rim on nearly every possession. The rookie center had his way down low, scoring on post-ups and putbacks, tallying 11 points in a 18-7 rally. The Boosters opened up their biggest lead of the game with 11 points, 57-46.

 

With under six minutes to play, a bucket by Simon snapped a four-minute drought from the field. Led by Mark Pingris, San Mig crawled their way back into the game. The big man's post play earned him seven points in a 12-3 run. Meanwhile, Petron repeatedly came up short on their ranged attempts and allowed San Mig to come within two, 60-58, with two minutes left in the quarter.

 

The Boosters played aggressively and earned themselves 3 of 4 charities down the stretch. But Aldrech Ramos buried a three-pointer in the dying seconds to keep the Mixers close, 63-61, after three periods.

 

Petron opened the fourth quarter with another Lassiter trey, as the Boosters outplayed their opponents with Cabagnot and Lutz rolled to the rim to create some separation, 74-69. Both teams struggled to score, before Pingris' baskets made his team competitive down the stretch.

 

Marcio Lassiter took a hard fall in the fourth quarter when he leaped to intercept a play, but collided with a standing James Yap in midair. Initial reports feared it might be a vertebral fracture, as he was wheeled off the floor on a stretcher.