PBA: Barako Bull come back from the dead for 98-88 OT win over GlobalPort

Barako's Danny Seigle (R) goes up against GlobalPort's Japeth Aguilar and Justin Williams. Photo by KC Cruz

(Updated 7:15pm) Rajko Toroman received the best birthday gift he could possibly have as his Barako Bull Energy Cola team won 98-88 against the GlobalPort Batang Pier in overtime, Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. They overhauled a 10-point deficit late in the fourth quarter and converted it to a 10-point win.

 

"It was a miracle that we won this game," said Toroman.

 

A three-point shot by Mark Macapagal tied the game at 86-all to force overtime. This also gave Barako Bull the momentum to dominate the extra five minutes. A triple shot from Josh Urbiztondo and a two-point basket from import Evan Brock handed the Barako Bull a double-digit lead with less than two minutes in the overtime period. In total, Barako Bull outscored GlobalPort 12-2 in the extra span with Danny Seigle chipping in five of those markers.

 

"We just instructed the team to play tough defense and play smart offense," said head coach Bong Ramos. "We were waiting for Mark Macapagal to hit a shot all game and he finally did when it mattered the most." Macapagal had been 0-of-6 from the field before canning that game-saving three point basket, a feat similar to what Calvin Abueva did in their game against Rain or Shine yesterday. [Related: Abueva's block, Baguio's lay-up, lifts Alaska over Rain or Shine]

 

For GlobalPort, it will be a game they'd look back on as their players had tremendous outings on the stat sheet; they just failed to convert those numbers into a victory. Japeth Aguilar exploded for 23 points with Sol Mercado and Gary David adding 19 each.  Their import Justin Williams also collared 27 rebounds and added 12 points. What pops out of the stat sheet were Mercado's 16 assists, but he could not quite finish off the Barako Bull in the final minutes of regulation.

 

"Our plan was to stop Sol Mercado from penetrating and to stop Gary David and Willie Miller from hitting their three-point shots. Our strategy was to allow Japeth Aguilar to score," Toroman later revealed.

 

Down by 86-80 in the dying minutes of the game, the Barako Bull Energy Cola relied on their three-point shooting to claw their way back into the game. Josh Urbiztondo converted on a trey to cut their deficit in half. GlobalPort import Justin Williams was then forced into a turnover. With 42 seconds remaining in the game, the GlobalPort defense prevented a Danny Seigle basket and forced the Barako Bull to rely on a three-point attempt from Evan Brock to tie the game. The Energy Cola import missed, which gave their opponents a chance to win the game.

 

However, Gary David was trapped by Brock and Urbiztondo for a turnover. Urbiztondo missed on a triple, but Mark Yee stepped out of bounds after getting the rebound to give Barako Bull one more shot to tie the game. Mark Macapagal received the ball, faked the GlobalPort import out of his boots, and then canned a three-point basket to tie the game at 86 with 0.9 seconds left in the game.

 

David had a chance to win the game for GlobalPort but his desperation shot bounced off the back of the rim.

 

Brock led Barako Bull in scoring with 25 points while Urbiztondo backed him up with 24 anchored on six three-point shots. Jonas Villanueva also played a good game for Barako with 18 points, six rebounds, and six assists, but the star for Barako was Danny Seigle who played like he was 10 years younger.

 

"There were a lot of questions how me and Danny Seigle will work because of his age and my practices, but you see he's doing good," said Toroman. Seigle totaled 16 points on 60 percent shooting from the field.  

 

The first quarter was all about Japeth Aguilar. He scored eight points in the opening period while Evan Brock scored nine for Barako Bull, the bull-strong import helping his team to a 21-19 advantage. In the second quarter, Barako Bull had to rest most of its starters, which resulted into a stagnant 12 minutes offensively. They only manged 14 points in second quarter and faced a 35-38 deficit coming into the second half.

 

The third quarter turned into a shoot-out between the two teams as they lit it up from beyond the arc. GlobalPort built a seven-point lead with David starting their run with a three. Mercado canned a long two and Aguilar added another basket at the 7:31 mark for a 47-40 lead. It took a little over two minutes for the Barako Bull to overhaul this deficit. They even built a 51-47 lead after Urbiztondo made a triple at the 4:47 mark. 

 

Mark Yee regained the lead for GlobalPort with his own three to make the count 55-54, but Villanueva replied with back-to-back triples for a 60-55 Barako Bull advantage. Mercado finished the quarter with a flurry as he made his own three but his lay-up at the tailend of the third was ruled too late.

 

A 7-0 run by Mercado and Williams gave GlobalPort a 65-60 lead early in the fourth quarter, but Urbiztondo tied the game up with five straight points of his own. On the very next possession, Mercado rifled off a pass to Williams who turned it into a two-handed jam, plus a foul.

 

Mercado continued to find his open teammates but Urbiztondo kept the game close with his outside sniping. A three-point play from Aguilar at the 5:20 mark of the fourth gave GlobalPort a 77-71 separation, and Williams added another two-handed dunk, but Danny Seigle turned back the clock for a vintage one-handed slam over the GlobalPort import.

 

However, Aguilar made a three-point basket for a 82-73 lead for his team. Baskets from Yee and David established a double-digit lead at 86-76 for GlobalPort, but they would not score a single point in regulation after that, allowing their foes to knot the game, and eventually win out. - RAF, GMA News

 

The scores:

 

BARAKO 98 - Brock 25, Urbiztondo 24, Villanueva 18, Seigle 16, Maliksi 9, Macapagal 6, Kramer 0, Pennisi 0, Allado 0.

 

GLOBALPORT 88 - Aguilar 23, Mercado 19, David 19, Williams 12, Miller 7, Yee 5, Salvador 3, Deutchman 0, Juntilla 0.

 

Quarters: 21-19, 35-38, 60-58, 86-86, 98-88