Penny And David Shine As Coke Beats Air21 To Stay Unbeaten

(From PBA)

It’s too early to tell how far the Coca-Cola Tigers can get this conference. But the kind of character they put on Wednesday night when the game seemed to be slipping off their grasp should go a long, long way.

James Penny had another productive night with 29 points despite being saddled with fouls as the Tigers clinch their third consecutive victory 100-96 against Air21 Wednesday night and stayed unbeaten in the PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum.

“It’s a tough game and we expected it. I’m pleased the guys didn’t give up even though we were behind,” said Coca-Cola coach Bo Perasol afterwards.

The Tigers held an 81-77 lead with 8:58 to play but the Express rallied behind rookie Ronnie Matias, whose 3-pointer spark a 12-6 run. Ronjay Buenafe ended that run with another trey that put them ahead 91-87.

With pressure building up, the Tigers just became even more aggressive on defense, making sure every shot Air21 made would be contested.

A jumpshot by Asi Taulava pulled the Tigers within one before Norman Gonzales knocked a long three and Gary David sank two free throws as Coca-Cola took the lead for good, 94-91, with 2:31 remaining.

“We missed some important free throws in the fourth quarter otherwise we could have pulled away much earlier. But this kind of wins help us build our character,” Perasol said. Coca-Cola went 16 of 31 from the line.

The 3-0 start matched the franchised opening salvo during the 2008 Fiesta Cup.

David picked up from where he left last week when he was named Player of the Week, scoring a game-high 21 points and had four assists and Norman Gonzales added 10 off the bench, including 3 of 4 from the 3-point range.

“I didn’t expect that we would be three-and-oh. At the back of my mind I would be happy if we managed to win two of three. But I’l take it any given time. It’s a very good start for us,” Perasol said.

The loss was the second in three games for the Express, who allowed the game to slip because they couldn’t take care of the ball.

Air21 had a good start but lost momentum in the second quarter when they committed 13 turnovers. Although they gave up only six points on those miscues, it enabled the Tigers to take control of the game.

For the entire game, Air21 committed a horrendous and season-high-tying 32 turnovers, 14 more than Coca-Cola’s.

Matias led Air21 with 18 points and kept the team in the game in fourth quarter but got little support from his teammates.

Foul-troubled Keena Young managed just 14 points and 8 rebounds and Buenafe added 14 for the Express, who shot just 42 percent from the field.

The scores:

Coca-Cola 100 - Penny 29, David 21, Gonzales 10, Rizada 9, Macapagal 8, Lanete 6, Espino 6, Taulava 5, Allera 2, Ross 2, Cruz 2, Rodriguez 0.

Air21 96 - Matias 18, Young 14, Buenafe 14, Kramer 9, Gonzales 9, Cortez 8, Ritualo 8, Sharma 6, Williams 4, Belga 4, Alvarez 2, Billones 0, Yee 0.

Quarterscores: 25-27, 51-45, 71-71, 100-96