PBA: Barako Bull scores first game upset, blows out Air21

(Updated 8:05pm) The much-maligned Barako Bull Energy Cola squad showed that their controversial offseason could in fact bear fruit, blowing out a Mark Cardona-less Air21 Express squad, 88-75, Wednesday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum, in both sides' first game in the 2013-14 PBA Philippine Cup.

Roundly criticized for dealing away multiple first round draft picks, as well as some promising young players for a rag-tag collection of veterans, Barako Bull played like a well-oiled machine, as the Express struggled to score all game, as evidenced by an 11-point output in the entire second quarter.

On the other end of the floor, the revamped Barako team showed solid play on both offense and defense. They made several defensive stops leading to a three-point barrage to kick off the second half, 63-30, to dump the Express for good.

[Review all of Barako's offseason moves here]

Mark Isip top-scored his squad with 16 points. Ronjay Buenafe added 11 points, including hitting 3-of-6 triples. Mark Macapagal and Denok Miranda added 10 points each.

"This team will pull surprises. Even as their coach I was surprised," said head coach Bong Ramos, who takes over from consultant Rajko Toroman, who parted ways with the franchise prior to the 2013 PBA Draft. "Masaya ako dahil the players really want to prove something. They want to play and prove themselves kasi nga, nagkaroon ng konting trades but yun talaga yung plano namin, to get tried and tested players.

"It's only the first game. Unang laro palang yan so wala pa silang napo-prove, but I can see that this team can pull surprises. Siguro we will just be given some breaks of the game, we'll salvage an upset every game," he said.

Ramos considered the game an upset for his team, saying that Air21 was a favored squad during the preseason tune-up games.

"This team really worked hard after the draft, they really pushed themselves. Hopefully we continue to upset some teams," he finished.

Quick baskets by Asi Taulava snagged an early 4-0 lead for the Express, but Air21 soon found themselves executing sporadically in the halfcourt. Meanwhile the Energy's front court went to work, grabbing offensive rebounds and plugging away inside. Mark Isip and Mick Pennisi scored 10 of their first 14 points. Then Barako Bull began to connect from the perimeter too as the quarter wound down, and Ronjay Buenafe and Denok Miranda had a triple each to spike a 22-17 advantage.

Barako Bull quickly distanced themselves from the Express in the second frame, spurred by Keith Jensen's outside scoring. The sophomore had eight in a 14-2 run, erecting a 36-19 lead.

Canaleta began asserting himself more to boost the Express offense, scoring in the paint at the 6:27 mark. Though the pace quickened, Barako Bull had enough firepower to keep in step. The Energy kept at least a 14-point buffer the rest of the way, and led 48-28 by halftime.


After the break, Barako Bull notched steals on three of their first four defensive possessions, and converted the extra balls into three-pointers. Buenafe, Mark Macapagal, and JC Intal combined for four triples, 60-30, with barely three minutes gone.

Unable to hold their own defensively, Air21 settled for tit-for-tat scoring, until Macapagal beat the quarter buzzer with a jumper from the right wing for the Energy, 75-44.

The two teams then played out the string throughout the final period.

Barako Bull shot 31-of-87 (35.6 percent) from the field against Air21's 25-of-67 (37.3 percent) clip. BBEC though made a killing off turnovers, forcing 18 while giving up just 10, for a 23-0 turnover points spread.

Barako Bull also led 19-11 in assists.

Air21's Joseph Yeo led all scorers with 22 points. KG Canaleta added 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Asi Taulava dropped 10 markers and 16 boards. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

Barako Bull 88 – Isip 16, Buenafe 11, Macapagal 10, Miranda 10, Intal 9, Jensen 8, Villanueva 6, Wilson 4, Miller 4, Pennisi 4, Fortuna 2, Marcelo 2, Pena 2

Air21 75 – Yeo 22, Canaleta 18, Taulava 10, Ritualo 7, Sharma 6, Custodio 5, Menor 4, Camson 2, Espiritu 1, Burstcher 0, Arboleda 0, Manuel 0

Quarter scoring: 22-17, 48-28, 75-44, 88-75