PBA: Petron Blaze's fourth quarter barrage flattens Barako Bull

(Updated 8:14pm) The Petron Blaze Boosters came alive in the fourth quarter to snatch the lead away for good from Barako Bull Energy Cola, on the way to a 101-88 win, Tuesday at the MOA Arena, in the quarterfinals of the 2013-14 PBA Philippine Cup.

The third-seeded Boosters are now a win away from a slot in the semifinals, after they overturned a Barako Bull lead that was as high as 12 points.

The two sides battle anew on Friday, with Barako Bull looking to tie up the best-of-three series and force a decider on Sunday.

[Series infographic: #3 Petron Blaze Boosters vs #6 Barako Bull Energy Cola]

Petron lead early on until JC Intal canned a three-pointer to give Barako Bull their first lead of the game, 12-10. Point guard Chris Ross countered with six straight for Petron, but Ronjay Buenafe and Willy Wilson worked to knot things up, before Willie Miller put Barako on top at the end of the first, 22-20.

Barako Bull got their first double-digit lead at 40-30, near the midpoint of the second canto, en route to JC Intal making it a 12-point affair, 47-35, the highest lead of either team in the first half. However, they then fell quiet just before halftime, allowing the Boosters to reel off a 7-2 run, and enter the break down by just seven, 49-42, as a Chris Lutz dunk ended the first 24 minutes of play.


At the start of the third, Mick Pennisi and Rico Maierhofer resurrected Barako's double-digit lead, 55-44, but treys from Ronald Tubid and Alex Cabagnot got them to within three, 57-54, 6:30 on the clock.

That was when 2012 first round pick June Mar Fajardo came alive, as six from the big man got Petron to a basket's range, 63-60. Another Cabagnot long-bomb tied things up, before Ross gave his team their first lead since the first period, 65-63, but it was short-lived, as Barako began to hit from distance, courtesy of Buenafe and Miller, 73-67.

Barako went up by as much as seven, 78-71, early in the fourth, but Petron was still clicking from outside the arc. Twin triples from Marcio Lassiter formed the backbone of a 17-0 blitz, putting the third seeds up by 10, 88-78.

Dorian Peña ended Barako's scoring drought, but he was answered with a Cabagnot triple, 91-80, four minutes and change left. Another Peña score kept his side's flickering hopes alive, but the three-ball continued to fall for Petron, as Lassiter and Cabagnot drilled in a pair for a 99-82 score, just 2:11 left.

A late 5-0 burst from Barako Bull was too little too late, before Arwind Santos forged the final score.

All in all, Petron more than doubled Barako's output in the final quarter, 34-15. 

Marcio Lassiter, despite just arriving back in Manila this morning, following a trip to the US due to the passing of his grandmother, scattered 17 points for Petron, including 3-of-4 triples. Alex Cabagnot and Arwind Santos both also scored 17, along with hauling down seven rebounds apiece. Cabagnot also dished out seven assists, while Santos accumulated two steals and a block.

June Mar Fajardo finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Chris Lutz (14) and Chris Ross (10) also scored in double-figures. The duo also handed out 11 assists between the two of them.

Willie Miller and Ronjay Buenafe both came off the bench to score 17 for Barako Bull. They were a combined 4-of-10 from beyond the arc, with seven assists total.

JC Intal managed a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds, Dorian Peña finished with nine points and six boards, while Dennis Miranda made five extra passes.

Petron's hustle play resulted in a 24-12 difference in fast break points, 20-12 in turnover points. They also shot 38-of-77 from the field, just a shade under 50 percent, and held Barako to a 33-of-82 (40.2 percent) clip. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

Petron Blaze 101 - Lassiter 17, Cabagnot 17, Santos 17, Fajardo 15, Lutz 14, Ross 10, Tubid 6, Lanete 4, Taha 1, Duncil 0, Kramer 0

Barako Bull 88 - Miller 17, Buenafe 17, Intal 15, Pena 9, Miranda 9, Wilson 8, Jensen 5, Maierhofer 3, Pennisi 3, Macapagal 2, Lastimosa 0, Marcelo 0

Quarter scoring: 20-22, 42-49, 67-73, 101-88