Barako assures PBA participation; SLR's fate uncertain

(From GMA News)

What's the future in store for Barako Energy Coffee and Sta. Lucia Realty?

The Photokina franchise said that it will continue participating in the Philippine Basketball Association's (PBA) 36th season while Sta. Lucia's fate remains uncertain.

Newly-installed PBA chairman Rene Pardo of B-Meg Derby Ace told GMANews.TV in a telephone interview that Barako management assured the board that it would field a team when the first conference opens later this year.

"I was informed that they will continue participating in the PBA," said Pardo. "But I told them that it will need board approval as well and we want to make sure how long can they commit."

Barako Coffee coach Junel Baculi also assured of the team’s participation next season.

"I was given directives by the management headed by boss George Chua. He told me what direction we would like to take next season and that we want to form up a more competitive team," said Baculi, who is also National University's athletic director.

Whether the board will approve or not Barako's continuous participation remains to be seen, but the PBA’s main thrust in the coming season is to generate better gate receipts and a much-improved marketing program.

"People would want to see games played at a more competitive level and they want to see competitive teams. If we have competing teams with inferior line up and not winning games, it will definitely hurt the league's attendance," added Pardo.

Barako Coffee is one team affected by the economic pinch. The team has had financial difficulties, trading their marquee players and some members of the squad reportedly encountered delays in the payment of their salaries.

Before the start of the Fiesta Cup, Barako Coffee entered a co-branding agreement with Harbour Centre, but the two companies reportedly had a "falling out", according to a source privy of the matter.

"As far as I know, Harbour and Barako had to cut short their initial agreement because of misunderstanding," said the source, who requested anonymity.

Harbour Centre team manager Erick Arejola said that the two companies had an agreement regarding the co-branding, but not the sale of the franchise.

"We came as a sponsor," said Arejola. "It was offered to us, and we agreed. It's for the Fiesta Cup only. But we've never discussed the sale of the franchise. So far, our main objective now is the coming Asean Basketball League."

As for Sta. Lucia, its participation remains up in the air and a PBA insider said that the team has sent notice of its intent of "taking a leave or non-participation starting next season."

"Of course, the next step there is probably the announcement of sale of its franchise to another company," said the source.

Asked for comments regarding the matter, Sta. Lucia coach Boyet Fernandez was advised by team manager Buddy Encarnado to "wait for the team meeting."

"So far, we're still on vacation and we're waiting for the meeting with boss Buddy," said Fernandez.

GMANews.TV tried to get Encarnado's side but calls were not answered.

Manila Electric Company (Meralco) has expressed its desire of returning to the PBA, but whether it will take over Sta. Lucia's franchise or come in as an expansion squad hasn't been made official yet.

B-Meg beats Barako, sets playoff for automatic semis

(From PBA Online)

B-Meg Derby Ace has set a date with San Miguel Beer for the last automatic semifinal seat after trouncing Barako Coffee, 106-100, Sunday night in the KFC-Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

Cliff Brown tallied a personal-high 43 points and grabbed 20 rebounds in his best game yet to power the Llamados to their 6th straight win and tie the Beermen at the number 2 slot with a 12-6 slate.

Derby Ace and San Miguel collide on Friday for the remaining automatic semis spot.

"We're doing a good job for the last 6 games. Unfortunately, it's not enough to secure us the number 2 seed," said Llamados head coach Ryan Gregorio.

James Yap added 18 points while Nino Canaleta and Roger Yap netted 13 and 10 markers, respectively, for the Llamados.

Sammy Monroe led the Coffee Masters with 37 points to go along with his 8 assists but Barako Coffee missed the next round of the tournament for the 4th straight conference.

The wards of coach Junel Baculi ended their campaign with a league worst 3-15. - www.abs-cbnnews.com

Scores:

Derby Ace 106 � Brown 43, Yap J. 18, Canaleta 13, Yap R. 10, Maierhofer 7, Artadi 6, Simon 5, Pingris 4, Adducul 0, Reavis 0, Allado 0.

Barako Coffee 100 � Monroe 37, Isip 14, Hubalde 13, Reyes 10, Gaco 7, Alonzo 6, Najorda 5, Vergara 4, Juntilla 3, Dimaunahan 1, Wainwright 0.

Quarter scores: 29-22, 58-48, 82-67, 106-100.

BARAKO COFFEE REPEATS OVER STA. LUCIA TO END STREAK, STAY ALIVE

(From PBA)

THERE'S still life for Barako Energy Coffee.

The Energy Coffee Masters came up with the needed defensive stops in the endgame to emerge a 103-100 winner over the struggling Sta. Lucia Realtors Sunday and keep alive their hopes of making the wildcard round of the PBA Fiesta Conference at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Sammy Monroe finished with a personal conference-high 41 points, which may slightly pale to Anthony Johnson's own PBA career-high 45. But the former had one of the two blocks Barako Coffee pulled off inside the last minute that enabled it to notch the much-needed win.

Rob Reyes accounted for the other swat and Paolo Hubalde drew a crucial charge, before the entire Barako team played lock-down defense in the last 25 seconds that prevented SLR from overcoming a 102-100 edge on Aris Dimaunahan's three-point play.

After the game, five wins are needed to tie for ninth place and the last wildcard berth and the Coffee Masters hope to improve on their current 3-13 win-loss slate when they wind up their elimination round assignments against Talk N Text and B-Meg Derby Ace.

“As of now, short-term goals lang kami,” said Barako coach Junel Baculi. “Our last two games are very, very tough opponents but let's see what we can do.”

The loss was Sta. Lucia's sixth straight, keeping it at eighth with a 4-11 slate and in danger of figuring in a possible playoff for a wildcard spot, with games against Air21, Alaska and Coca-Cola coming up.

The hope, however, remains positively there for the team that now trails ninth-running Air21 (3-12) by just half a game.

“We need to win those games. Pero kahit mukhang mahirap we will be there trying,” said Baculi. “”We'll just try and keep the game close and see what happens.”

Johnson added 15 rebounds, but his efforts started getting flushed when his bid to add on to SLR's 100-99 lead through a two-handed dunk was foiled by Reyes.

Reed Juntilla muffed a lean-in jumper, but SLR's Ogie Menor shrugged off discretion and, instead of waiting for his teammates and set up a play, went for a drive that was foiled by Monroe, leading to Dimaunahan's go-ahead drive and charity off Pong Escobal.

Monroe's own free throw following Gabby Espinas' charge made it a three-point game that stood after the Coffee Masters' team defense prevented the Realtors from making anything out of two inbound plays inside the last 4.3 seconds, even turning the ball over in the last four-tenths of a second.

Local support proved to be a very major factor, notably Mark Isip, who doubled his conference high with a season-best 22 points, including eight in the final period that helped Barako overcome a 93-99 deficit in the last 3:29 of play.

“I'm always challenging them. Me ibubuga sila,” maintained Baculi. “It’s just a matter of giving them confidence, showing them how to deliver at crunchtime. They're responding now.”

Menor and Paul Escobal each had at least 10 points while Nic Belasco had 14 rebounds and Espinas wound up with six of his seven boards off the offensive glass in the second half that helped SLR overcome a 44-57 third quarter deficit.

But when it came to the crunch, the Realtors locals unabashedly kept looking for Johnson that proved the most successful when he went 5-of-5 from beyond the arc and powered the team to a 77-74 lead going into the final 12 minutes. (NC)

The scores:

Barako Coffee 103 - Monroe 41, Isip 22, Juntilla 11, Dimaunahan 8, Hubalde 7, Gaco 4, Reyes 4, Vergara 2, Alonzo 2, Coronel 2, Najorda 0.

Sta. Lucia 100 - Johnson 45, Menor 12, Escobal 10, Urbiztondo 8, Espinas 8, Custodio 5, Misolas 4, Belasco 3, Omolon 2, Peek 2, Daa 1, Ross 0, Aquino 0.

Quarterscores: 25-21, 52-44, 74-77, 103-100

Ginebra Gets Back On Track With 21-Point Rout Of Barako Coffee

(From PBA)

Barangay Ginebra picked up the pieces after two jolting defeats, shredding Barako Energy Coffee, 107-86, after a slow start Wednesday night at the Araneta Coliseum.

Import Denham Brown scored 26 points to go with his 16 rebounds and Mark Caguio accounted for 12 of his 19 markers in the second quarter to spark a ferocious charge that put the Kings in control.

“The first quarter was terrible. Good thing the players picked up their rhythm in the second,” said Barangay Ginebra coach Jong Uichico, visibly relieved after their repeat victory against the Coffee Makers.

Their ninth win in 15 games cushioned successive losses against Rain or Shine and Talk ‘N Text and kept the Kings well within the Top 5, shoring up their hopes for an outright quarterfinal, if not outright semifinal, berth in the PBA Fiesta Conference.

“But we can’t play that way. Our upcoming games are very crucial. I don’t know if we still have a chance to make the semifinals outright. Regardless, our target right now is to get as many wins as we could to make sure we get to the playoffs,” Uichico said.

Enrico Villanueva had 12 points, Sunday Salvacion added 11 and Willie Miller contributed 10 and six assists for the Kings, who made 11 of 27 3-point shots and went 10 of 15 from the free throw line.

Eric Menk sat out his third straight game with a pulled calf muscle but the Kings still dominated the boards, 58-38.

The Kings shot just 38 percent in the first quarter and appeared in trouble when the Coffee Makers surged to a 23-11 lead on successive baskets by import Sam Monroe and Richard Alonzo.  

Barako Energy Coffee held a 29-22 lead when Caguioa picked up his offensive rhythm and led a 17-7 run that shoved the Kings ahead, 39-36.

A basket by Paolo Hubalde and another by import Sam Monroe put Barako Energy Coffee back on top by two but the Kings quickly responded with an 18-3 blast for a 57-44 halftime advantage. The Coffee Makers never recovered after that.

Monroe scored 17 points and Reed Juntilla and Hubalde added 13 apiece for the Coffee Makers, who picked up their seventh consecutive loss and moved on the brink of elimination with a 3-12 card. (DBC)

The scores:

Barangay Ginebra 107 - Brown 26, Caguioa 19, Villanueva 12, Salvacion 11, Miller 10, Hatfield 10, Tubid 7, Intal 4, Cruz 3, De Ocampo 3, Wilson 2, Ferriols 0, Helterbrand 0.

Barako Coffee 86 - Monroe 17, Juntilla 13, Hubalde 13, Dimaunahan 10, Reyes 9, Alonzo 6, Najorda 6,Isip 4, Vergara 3, Wainwright 3, Faundo 2, Duncil 0.

Quarterscores: 22-29, 57-44, 79-61, 107-86

TNT Tries To Stretch Run To 12

(From Business Mirror)

TALK ‘N TEXT goes after a playoff berth for one of two automatic semifinal seats in the KFC-Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Cup on Wednesday night at the Araneta Coliseum.

Unbeaten in their last 11 games, the streaking Tropang Texters hope to make it 12 in a row against the dangerous Alaska in the main game at 7:30 p.m.

In the opener, Barangay Ginebra tries to revive its automatic quarterfinal seat bid as it clashes with Barako Coffee at 5 p.m.

Talk ‘N Text is coming off an exhausting 92-84 victory over the Kings on Saturday in Batangas City and head coach Chot Reyes hopes his wards have enough energy left for tonight.

“Our concern right now is to recover and be ready to play,” said Reyes, who expressed concern over Jimmy Alapag who suffered cramps against Ginebra because of the poor playing condition in the Batangas venue.

“Right now, we need two wins to be sure and we really have to give our best against Alaska,” he added.

Reyes’s wards last tasted defeat on March 21 against San Miguel Beer, 106-112, but were invincible since then, especially after acquiring Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes in a blockbuster trade with Sta. Lucia Realty.

The Tropang Texters beat the Aces in their first-round meeting, 100-92, but Alaska has become a different team since acquiring Cyrus Baguio from Ginebra in exchange for Willie Miller.

Alaska has won its last two games, including an impressive 99-97 overtime win against B-MEG Derby Ace. The Aces walloped the Coffee Masters, 104-96, in their last game to go 8-5 in the standings. A victory would tie the Aces at third spot with the Llamados.

“This is a very important game for us,” said Aces head coach Tim Cone. “Talk ‘N Text does a great job attacking for the full 48 minutes and we just have to sustain our aggressiveness and stay in attack mode ourselves.”

In the first game, Ginebra tries to get back in contention for a top-five finish with a victory against the cellar-dwelling Barako Coffee.

The Kings absorbed their second-straight loss at the hands of the Tropang Texters to drop to fifth place with an 8-6 mark.

Ronald Tubid returns to the Ginebra roster after sitting out on Saturday’s game to serve a one-game suspension for his flagrant foul on Jireh Ibañes of Rain or Shine.

Kings mentor Jong Uichico said Eric Menk would miss on Wednesday’s game because of a recurring calf injury. Ginebra barely beat Barako Coffee in their first meeting, 93-90, on May 12

With four games left, the Coffee Masters desperately need a win to stay within striking distance with Air21. The wards of coach Junel Baculi are sitting at the bottom with a 2-12 mark, losing their last six assignments to trail the Express (3-11) by one game.

Coke Beats Barako Coffee in OT To End Losing Streak

(From PBA)

It took a long time coming, but Coca-Cola and Rashad Bell finally rang one up Sunday evening.

The Tigers needed to scramble back from several 11-point deficits before fully getting their acts together in the last minute of overtime before hurdling Barako Energy Coffee, 105-100 in the PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum.

Bell was at the forefront of it all, redeeming himself from what could have been a costly miscue in the dying seconds of regulation by scoring six of his game-high 33 points and pulling off a crucial block in the extension that gave Coke the needed boost to snap out of its rut.

“We needed this kind of a win because we fought back from a deficit,” said Coke coach Bo Perasol, whose team has lost seven in a row since winning last on April 14.

“Also, we accomplished a lot in our mindset with this win,” added Perasol. “It was a tough seven-game skid and I myself have been losing confidence in coaching this team. We needed this kind of a win to show we still know how to win.”

For Bell, who replaced James Penny three games into the slide, the win should help them in their quest to go deep in the season-ending tourney.

“I’m just really ecstatic we won this. I’m happy for the guys we were able to get this and we hope to build on this momentum in our remaining games,” said the man who went 10-of-12 from the stripe and also had 11 rebounds.

It was the fifth win in 13 games for the Tigers, moving them into solo seventh-running spot.

The loss was Barako’s 11th in 13 outings, dropping it to a tie for last spot with idle Air21.

The Energy Coffee Masters fought back from 31 points down before narrowly losing a 98-99 decision to the Express last Wednesday and coach Junel Baculi states Sunday’s game compares to that heartbreaking loss.

“This is really bad, considering we led all the way up to the last minute (of regulation),” he said. “Unfortunately, the players made bad decisions in the end, like instead of passing, shooting the ball and instead of shooting, they’re passing. Hopefully we would learn from this and in our last few games apply it.”

Sammy Monroe led Barako with 27 points and 11 boards, but he went scoreless in overtime.

In his first game as a starter, Leo Najorda finished with 24 points, with relievers Reed Juntilla and Mark Isip adding 14 and 11 points, respectively.

Gary David, the conference’s leading local scorer, ably backstopped Bell with 25 points, while Asi Taulava added 12 and a game-high 14 rebounds and Mark Macapagal chipping in 10.

David’s triple capped Coke’s comeback from several 11-point deficits and gave the Tigers a 93-91 edge in the last 38 seconds of regulation.

Monroe’s lean-in floater knotted the count 12 seconds later and overtime was forged when Bell dribbled off his thigh in the last 6.8 seconds and Monroe was way right on his long triple try before the final buzzer.

Juntilla’s back-to-back jumpers gave Barako the upper hand in overtime, but that did not last long as Bell’s short stab and followup sandwiched Taulava’s three-point play off a Bell block on Juntilla that made it a 100-97 game.

Najorda’s triple tied the count for the last time at 100, before a David twinner and charities by Macapagal and Bell off a hoary three-point miss by Rob Wainwright and Al Vergara’s offensive foul sealed the count. (NC)

The scores:

Coca-Cola 105 - Bell 33, David 25, Taulava 12, Macapagal 10, Cruz 8, Espino 6, Allera 3, Gonzales 3, Mendoza 3, Rizada 2, Calimag 0.

Barako Coffee 100 - Monroe 27, Najorda 24, Juntilla 14, Isip 11, Vergara 9, Wainwright 8, Reyes 4, Dimaunahan 3, Duncil 0, Hubalde 0.

Quarterscores: 24-27, 37-48, 62-71, 93-93, 105-100

San Miguel Rips Barako for 8th Straight Win

(From PBA Online)

San Miguel coach Siot Tanquingcen's worst fear almost came to reality Sunday night.

Good thing, his Beermen was quick to react and avoid what could be the biggest upset in the PBA Fiesta Cup.

Getting 23 points from Gabe Freeman and the energy level the defending champion needed, the Beermen proceeded to a 104-80 dismantling of dangerous Barako Energy Coffee Masters to keep their winning run in the season-ending meet at the Araneta Coliseum.

Playing listless ballgame early on, San Miguel found themselves trailing in the opening period, 21-23, and didn't really take full control of the match until the second half when Freeman unloaded 11 of his total output as the Beermen outscored the Coffee Masters, 34-20, entering the fourth.

"The whole week, we kept on reminding them to avoid being over confident," said Tanquingcen. "You can't take Barako lightly since they are capable of pulling off an upset."

Freeman added eight rebounds and four block shots in 19 minutes of play, unmindful of the bad fall he suffered in the first quarter as he personally carried the scoring load for the team during that big second half blitz.

San Miguel preserved its hold of the top spot at 9-1 as it claimed its eight straight win in the import-laden tournament.

With Tanquingcen opting to give Freeman a rest, the rest of the locals stepped up. Jay Washington finished with 13 points, while Dondon Hontiveros and Danny Ildefonso added 12 each.

The Beermen had their biggest lead at 96-68 with 5:42 to play on a basket by Danny Seigle, seeing action for the first time following a bout with injury. He finished with nine points.

The Energy Coffee Masters fell to 2-8.

Import Sammy Monroe led Barako with 20 points but shot only 6-of-21 from the field.

Aries Dimaunahan had a conference-high 16 markers to lead Barako's local scorers. - GMANews.TV

Scores:

San Miguel 104 - Freeman 23, Washington 13, Hontiveros 12, Ildefonso 12, Santos 10, Yeo 9, Seigle 9, Cabagnot 5, Pena 4, Pennisi 3, Villanueva 2, Miranda 2, Holper 0.

Barako 80 - Monroe 20, Dimaunahan 16, Isip 10, Najorda 8, Gaco 7, Alonzo 6, Coronel 6, Reyes 4, Vergara 2, Juntilla 1, Faundo 0, Duncil 0, Hubalde 0.
Quarter scores: 21-23, 49-41, 83-61, 104-80.

Kings Trips Coffee Masters

(From PBA Online)

For 45 minutes, Jong Uichico labored to coach a ballclub he didn't recognize. Then Eric Menk showed up and reintroduced the man to the Barangay Ginebra that he knew.

"I've been here for four years and that was just a different team out there," said Uichico, who minced no words in expressing his distaste for the Kings' overall performance despite their 93-90 victory over the Barako Coffee Masters Wednesday night in the PBA Fiesta Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

"That just wasn't Ginebra," fumed the Kings coach in his usual toned-down way, momentarily oblivious to the presence of the guy beside him during the post-game media interview - power forward Eric Menk.

"Of course, it wasn't all the players," Uichico clarified.

Menk had Ginebra's never-say-die symbol emblazoned all over him.

He blasted his way to eight of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, with six straight coming in the closing minutes when the Kings teetered in defeat and clung desperately on the bulging biceps of the player called "Major Pain".

"It didn't look good with three minutes left but I just kept pluggingaway," said Menk, who shot 7-of-19 overall and 6 of 7 foul shots with five rebounds and three assists. He towed the Kings back in line with the first of four free throws to end Barako's string of 11 unanswered points that had the Coffee Masters steaming back from four points down to seven up, 87-80, on Reed Juntilla's fast break layup.

"No, it wasn't that we're giving up but I was really frustrated with the way we were playing up to that point," said Uichico.

Menk added two more free throws after that, then followed it up with a three-point play to jolt the languid Ginebra crowd.

"The guys were looking for me and luckily we made some free throws," he said.

Celino Cruz took it from there, draining a 3-point shot to put the Kings within 90-89 before import Mildon Ambres hit a semi-hook shot after rebounding a miss by Willie Miller as the Coffee Masters unraveled.

Ambres led Ginebra with 27 points and pulled down 20 rebounds, double-double numbers which his coach defended.

"He's doing the best he can. Twenty-seven points, twenty rebounds, what more can you ask for?" said Uichico. "It's not the import anymore. It might be the coach or the players but we'll figure out what's wrong."

Menk says he is lost as well on what ails his team, but may have provided some answers.

"Oh, man, I wish I knew," he said. "We're obviously a talented team but talent can't win games all the time. We'll probably win one-on-one battles, but it's still five-on-five."

Ginebra picked up its fifth win in nine games, while the Coffee Masters, who had 27 points from Sam Monroe and 23 from Juntilla, fell to 2-7, their biggest paycheck going down the drain after Monroe traveled with 7.5 seconds left on their last possession. (Tempo Sports)

The scores:

GINEBRA 93 - Ambres 27, Menk 20, Hatfield 10, Miller 9, Helterbrand 9, Wilson 7, Caguioa 6, Cruz 3, Villanueva 2, Tubid 0, De Ocampo 0.

BARAKO 90 - Monroe 27, Juntilla 23, Najorda 16, Gaco 8, Dimaunahan 7, Alonzo 4, Vergara 3, Reyes 2, Menor 0, Duncil 0, Aljamal 0, Hubalde 0.
Quarters: 24-20, 45-38, 70-63, 93-90.

Coffee Over Milk

(From PBA)

Finally, all the gears clicked for Barako Energy Coffee.

Behind Sammy Monroe’s 30 points and 14 rebounds, the Energy Coffee Masters pulled off a man-sized 106-98 over Alaska Sunday in the PBA Fiesta Conference at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Unlike in the past, it was not only Monroe who sparkled this time as the likes of Leo Najorda, Reed Juntilla and Yousif Aljamal chipped in more than their fair share to fuel their charge to their first victory since an opening day win against Sta. Lucia Realty.

“I told my players it’s been a while since we last celebrated, so why not try and go for it today,” related coach Junel Baculi.

In the end, Barako was rewarded with its second win in eight outings, lifting it out of the company of former cellarmate Air21.

The victory may also have extended Monroe’s stay here.

Following a 93-80 loss to B-Meg Derby Ace last April 21, it was Baculi who expressed dissatisfaction with the perimeter-playing Monroe, who he said was not the kind of inside-outside reinforcement they needed.

Baculi also related a meeting to decide the fate of Monroe was held during the All-Star weekend, but no decision was reached. The tactician was adopting a different tone after Sunday night’s game.

“It’s just the norm,” Baculi explained. “If you’re losing, you put the blame on the import. But I told him the (reports) are not true.”

Monroe just shrugged his shoulders, maintaining he’ll continue to do his part but said it’s not all up to him. He claimed he has seen some positive signs before the morale-boosting win.

“The way we practiced, I’ve seen some progress and as long as we all continue to work hard we’ll continue to give ourselves a good chance of winning.”

Sunday night was a case in point.

Najorda scattered 18 points and Juntilla and Aljamal spiked their respective 16 and 15 points with some clutch baskets in the fourth quarter to preserve the win that first became a possibility when Barako twice led by 11 points early.

“We did everything coach told us to do, we ran our offense, kept our composure. The whole team was confident,” Monroe pointed out.

The loss cut short Alaska’s three-game winning streak and left it with an even 3-3 win-loss record in the company of idle Barangay Ginebra and Rain or Shine.

Diamon Simpson had 24 points and a game-high 17 rebounds while Joe Devance, LA Tenorio, Cyrus Baguio and Reynel Hugnatan added at least 11 points each.

Yet Hugnatan missed three free throws and Simpson two, the last enabling Barako Coffee to hold on to a 100-98 lead in the last 1:53 of the game.

Monroe’s defiance of Alaska’s box-in-one defense against him reached its highest peak when he pulled up for a 10-foot jumper before Aljamal, third placer in the recent All-Star Three-Point Shootout, drained a triple to cap a 12-point fourth period and make it 105-98, only 36 ticks left.

“Sa plays kasi ni coach, kahit sino ang malibre, p’wedeng tumira. Nagkataon lang na nagkaroon ng kompiyansa,” said Aljamal, who accounted for two of Barako Coffee’s season-high 12 triples.

Juntilla’s career-high tying output was also capped by his third trey of the game, giving the Coffee Masters some breathing room after Baguio and Hugnatan led Alaska back to within 94-97.

Alaska was simply a sorry sight in the endgame, blowing its chances to salvage it when Tenorio committed a passing error and Simpson not only missing his charities but also flubbing a reverse alley-oop attempt off a timeout.

It was also a sad ending for Simpson, who kept Alaska in the thick of the fight with nine third quarter points, enabling the Aces to stay within 68-72 going into the final quarter.

Ironically, it was while Monroe was sitting out a six-minute stretch spanning the first two periods that Barako Coffee made its biggest push yet, rallying most behind Najorda, Al Vergara and Aljamal for a 12-4 surge and their first 11-point lead at 39-28.

Monroe returned and his short stab made it a 41-30 count, before Devance, Simpson and Tenorio kept Alaska within 42-47 at the half.

The scores:

Barako Coffee 106 - Monroe 30, Najorda 18, Juntilla 16, Aljamal 15, Dimaunahan 8, Vergara 7, Reyes 6, Gaco 4, Alonzo 2, Hubalde 0.

Alaska 98 - Simpson 24, De Vance 17, Tenorio 14, Baguio 13, Hugnatan 11, Dela Cruz 6, Fonacier 5, Thoss 5, Eman 3.

Quarterscores: 24-21, 47-42, 72-68, 106-98.