Chris Pacana

Credits: SunStar Cebu

THE Coca Cola Tigers outlasted the Welcoat Dragons, 92-86, in yesterday’s Talk N’ Text 2006 PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Tigers, who played without Ali Peek, Will Antonio and Neil Raneses, clawed their way back into the game after falling behind by 11 points with a roaring endgame rally.

Allan Salangsang and Chris Pacana starred in the Tigers’ come-from-behind victory as their heroics in the last two minutes of the final quarter allowed Coca Cola to steal the glory from the Dragons.

Salangsang dished out a double-double performance as he tallied a game-high 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Pacana etched a career-high of 18 points in helping the Tigers secure the victory.

Rob Wainwright stretched the Dragons’ edge to five points, 80-75, after completing a three-point play but Pacana replied with a booming trey in the next play and teammate Joseph Yeo made a lay-up off a Dragons miss to level the count to 80-all in the last 2:12.

That turned out to be the turning point of the game as the Tigers made another five-to-nothing spurt courtesy of Pacana’s three-point bomb and Denok Miranda’s twinner in the last 1:15.

The Dragons refused to give up as Jojo Tangkay replied with a three-point conversion in the ensuing play, keeping his team in the thick of things as time dwindled down to 1:12 with Welcoat just behind by two, 83-85.

Endgame

Salangsang, who was five-of-eight in the three-point area, however, took charge in the endgame as he pulled another trey with only 54 ticks left seconds left to seal the win.

“With only nine men to shuffle, I just told the boys to cling together and work together. If we could do that, something good might happen,” said Coca-Cola coach Binky Favis, who worked the game without veteran center Ali Peek (injured knee) and shooters Antonio (groin injury) and Raneses (family problem).

“Sometimes when you work hard, you get lucky,” Favis added.

Their only third win in seven games was a breather for the Tigers who went into the game still reeling from a 75-102 blowout against Barangay Ginebra last Thursday and a 71-81 defeat against the Dragons last Oct.8.

Thanks to Salangsang, who made the big shots when they needed it, Coke was able to avenge that upset loss against Welcoat in their first meeting.

It was another frustrating game for Welcoat, which controlled the game throughout only to blow it in the closing minutes. The Dragons fell to a 2-5 (win-loss) card with their third straight loss.

Last Friday, The Dragons also went down in defeat against the Red Bull Barakos, 77-80, after leading by as many as 17 points.

Jojo Tangkay scored 25 points to show the way for the Dragons. (JAF with PBA Media Bureau)

By JOEL ORELLANA
The Manila Times Reporter

Chris Pacana is beginning to prove that he’s a bigtime player who belongs to the big-time league.

The 6-foot-1 Pacana came to the rescue for Coca-Cola in the pivotal fourth quarter and teamed up with Dennis Miranda and Allan Salangsang to lead their team to a come-from-behind 92-86 win over Welcoat Sunday night in the Talk ’N Text-Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

The 24-year-old product of St. Francis of Assisi had 14 of his career-high 18 points in the fourth period including the last four that sealed the win for the Tigers and snapped a two-game losing streak to improve to 3-4.

Salangsang also netted a personal-best 21 markers including 5 booming triples that helped Coke to stay in the game as the Dragons, who absorbed their third straight loss, tried to pull away but to no avail.

"Playing with our three pieces missing, I told the players that it will be tough. It’ll call of holding their arms together, sticking with it and pitching in whatever they could. Sometimes when you play hard, you’ll be lucky," said Coke head coach Binky Favis.

"Chris showed up big tonight. But everybody played their roles to the hilt tonight including Manny [Ramos] and Mike [Gavino]. Denok [Miranda] was our leader defensively and Allan had a great shooting game," Favis added.

The Tigers, who now avenged their 75-85 loss in their first meeting, played minus Ali Peek (injured left knee), William Antonio (groin) and Neil Raneses (family concerns).

But the back-ups, particularly Pacana and Salangsang, were more than willing to carry the fight of the team which appeared on losing another match to the Dragons who led by as much as 11 points in the game at 57-46.

Coke quickly returned into the game by unloading a 14-4 run capped by Salangsang’s triple to close in at 58-61 and the former Barangay Ginebra shooter added a pair of treys at the start of the fourth to move even closer at 64-66.

Welcoat remained in control of the game with Jojo Tangkay, who registered a career-high 25 points, and Rob Wainwright doing most of the damage as the Dragons held an 80-75 lead with just 3:11 left in the game.

Then Pacana took charge the rest of the way, starting the uprising with a three-point play off Nino Gelig that sparked a 10-0 blast capped by Miranda’s banked shot for an 85-80 cushion, 1:15 remaining.

Tangkay buried a triple to put Welcoat back in the game, 83-85, but Salangsang answered with his own rainbow shot. After Tangkay sank three free throws on the foul of Miranda, Pacana hit a difficult lay-up over 6-foo-t8 Jay-R Reyes and sealed the win with two free throws.

It was indeed a painful loss for the Dragons who were in the same situation as in their previous game against Red Bull where they led by as much as 17 points in the third but bungled it and yielded an 80-77 decision.

Scores:

Coke 92—Salangsang 21, Pacana 18, Arigo 15, Ferreria 9, Miranda 8, Ramos 6, Misolas 6, Yeo 5, Gavino 4.

Welcoat 86—Tangkay 25, Wainwright 17, Cabatu 16, Ibanes 10, Lopez 7, Gelig 6, Reyes 4, Sta. Maria 1, Baguion 0, Lao 0, Mente 0.

Quarters: 13-19, 38-41, 58-61, 92-86.

john geoffrey dacanay October 27th, 2006

We're still almost halfway into the elimination round of the 2006-07 PBA Talk N Text Philippine Cup and already there are several notable rookies who are more making a strong case for the yearend Rookie of the Year Award.

Leading the pack of this year's exciting rookies are the 2006 PBA Draft's number 1 and 2 overall selections: Kelly Williams of Sta. Lucia Realty and Arwind Santos of the Air21 Express. Williams is leading all rookies in scoring (14.75 ppg) and rebounding (11 rpg) while ex-FEU stalwart Arwind Santos is the numero uno shotblocker among rookies with an astonishing two swats per contest. Santos also ranks 2nd among rookies in average points per game (14.4 ppg) and in steals (1.2 spg).

Second round pick Chris Pacana, who was drafted a lowly 15th overall by the Coca Cola Tigers, is making the other nine teams in the league regret he wasn't picked ahead by pacing all rookies in assists (4 apg) and steals (1.33 spg). The 6-0 Fil-Am guard from St. Francis of Assisi has been relegated to the sidelines in his team's first two games but responded beautifully when coach Bonky Favis thrusted him into the lineup in the team's October 13 game against Red Bull. The Tigers won that game courtesy of Pacana's superb quarterbacking skills (Stat lines: 13 points, 7 boards and 3 assists). Pacana has not looked back since.

The PBA Draft's third, fourth and fifth overall selections: Joseph Yeo, LA Tenorio and Gabby Espinas are also providing solid contributions for the Coca Cola Tigers and the San Miguel Beermen. The high-flying Joseph Yeo, nicknamed 'The Ninja' for his aerial forays and no fear attitude, is averaging 10ppg, 4.6 rpg and 1.2 apg in 26 minutes per contest relieving main star John Arigo. San Miguel's rookie pair Tenorio and Espinas have been a splendid job taking the cudgels from the Beermen's injured stars Danny Seigle and Danny Ildefonso. Tenorio ranks third in assists (2.8 apg) among rookies and could also score (11 ppg) if he wants to. Espinas is the 2nd leading rookie rebounder with an average of 9.4 rpg and provides the Beermen a tough defender in the post (one block per game).

Welcoat rookie center 6-7 Jay-R Reyes, the league's youngest player, is proving everyone that he is unfazed of the competition. In his first five games as a pro, Reyes has put together all-around averages of 13.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.0 bpg, 0.8 spg. The Dragons other rookie Junjun Cabatu is also performing creditably with 10 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 2.0 apg.

Letran's deadly duo Boyet Bautista (Purefoods) and Aaron Aban (Alaska) are not getting any substantial playing minutes due to their teams' superior depth at the point guard and small forward spots. Bautista (11.25 mpg) is playing behind the Chunkee Giants' Roger Yap and Paul Artadi while Aaron Aban (6.0 mpg) is competing with Tony de la Cruz, Jeffrey Cariaso, fellow rookie Christian Luanzon and Eddie Laure. But make no mistake about it. Both have great talent and upside to be a starter in the league. In his most memorable game so far, Boyet Bautista scored 11 points in just 15 minutes in an 67-86 blowout loss to the Brgy. Ginebra Gin Kings last October 7.

To rank the neophytes, we used an efficiency rating to determine who is making the most out of his given time on the playing court.

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by john geoffrey dacanay

It was a night of upsets and career games. Ex-Ginebra forward Allan Salangsang scored all but two of his career-high 16 points in the fourth quarter to key the Coca Cola Tigers' breakaway over the defending All-Filipino champs Purefoods Chunkee Giants, 92-77, in the 2006 PBA-Talk N Text Philippine Cup eliminations at the Araneta Coliseum. Aside from Salangsang, the Tigers also drew some strong games from Jason Misolas (14 points and 10 boards) and rookie Joseph Yeo (13 points), both career-highs.

Chris Pacana had another brilliant game for the Tigers contributing 8 points and 5 assists as a backup to starter Denok Miranda. The Tigers have now won back-to-back games after losing their first two games of the season. The loss spoiled the career-high 18 points of Purefoods' mercurial point guard Paul Artadi. Artadi also grabbed 5 boards, dished off 5 assists and stole twice.

The Tigers led by as much as 14 points in the first half but couldn't pull away from its visibly out-of-sync opponent. The Chunkee Giants finally found its rhythm in the third quarter to pull even at 49-all but a blistering 13-4 run by the Tigers at the end of the third quarter took the starch out of the Giants.

Ali Peek paced the Tigers with 19 points, 8 of those in the fourth quarter to keep Purefoods at bay. Peek also grabbed 8 boards. John Arigo was not able to finish the game after suffering from cramps in the third quarter and wound up with only 8 points, the lowest in the tournament so far for the league's leading scorer (25.7 ppg).

Kerby Raymundo backstopped Artadi with 15 points. Peter June Simon had another great game, finishing with 14 points for the Giants who played without Jun Limpot and Jondan Salvador. 2006 PBA MVP James Yap struggled all game long and could only chip in 10 points. The loss was the Giants third in four games.

In the nightcap, the Air21 Express leaned on the career games of Ranidel de Ocampo, Gary David and Wynne Arboleda to deal the Talk N Text Phonepals its first loss of the season, 127-110, thereby arresting also its three-game losing skid.

Ranidel de Ocampo and Gary David exploded for a career-high 33 and 30 points, respectively, including a combined 24-point output in the fourth quarter to blow the game wide open. Express point guard Wynne Arboleda dished off a career-best 18 assists. Super rookie Arwind Santos only had 12 points but had two emphatic blocks on Asi Taulava. The Express continued to miss the high-flying Nino Canaleta who suffered a broken nose two games ago.

The Phonepals were led by Taulava's 21 points and Don Allado's 18 points. Fil-Am Anthony Washington couldn't get his game going and contributed only a listless 5 point-effort. The loss leaves the Sta. Lucia Realtors as the only unbeaten team in the tourney.

First Game:
Coca-Cola 92 = Peek 19, Salangsang 16, Misolas 14, Yeo 13, Pacana 8, Miranda 8, Arigo 8, Gavino 2, Caceres 2, Raneses 2, Ferreria 0, Antonio 0.
Purefoods 77 = Artadi 18, Raymundo 15, Simon 14, Yap J. 10, Pingris 7, Yee 4, Castillo 4, Bautista 3, Yap R. 2, Evangelista 0.
Quarterscores: 19-19, 41-38, 62-53, 92-77

Second Game:
Air21 127 = de Ocampo R. 33, David 30, de Ocampo Y. 13, Santos 12, Tubid 10, Telan 9, Arboleda 9, Avenido 7, Se 4, Sotto 0, Dimaunahan 0.
Talk n Text 110 = Taulava 21, Allado 18, Ritualo 15, Alapag 13, Carey 12, Cardona 8, Belano 8, Pablo 6, Washington 5, Andaya 4, Fran 0.
Quarterscores: 29-26, 60-all, 91-85, 127-110

by john geoffrey dacanay

The Coca Cola Tigers found two unlikely heroes in rookies Chris Pacana and Mike Gavino to shock the Red Bull Barakos and its faithfuls 105-86 in the 2006 PBA-Talk N Text Philippine Cup main header.

Pacana and Gavino took the cudgels from fellow rookies Ronjay Enrile and RJ Rizada to make a solid impression in their first official game as a professional. Pacana was able to orchestrate the Tigers' plays to perfection and scored timely hits to put the Barakos at bay. He scored 13 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists in just 23 minutes of action. Gavino, on the other hand, managed just 6 points in 20 minutes but had 6 rebounds and held the Tigers' fort when Ali Peek was in foul trouble.

John Arigo had a monster offensive game with 27 points. Peek had a double-double game: 14 points and 13 rebounds. The Tigers also drew career games from Joseph Yeo and Neil Raneses. Both scored 12 points. Enrico Villanueva had a measly 14 points for the Barakos. Carlo Sharma came off the bench to provide an additional big body in the paint, scoring 9 points. In what was a close game in the opening quarter, the Tigers stepped on the breaks in the 2nd quarter, leading by double digits before settling for 54-45 halftime lead. In the second half, the Tigers answered every rally put up by the Barakos to win pulling away.

The win was the Tigers' first in three outings. The same W-L card by the Welcoat Dragons and the Alaska Aces. The loss was the Barakos' first in three outings, dropping the Red Bull team to the middle of the 10-team field.

In the first game, the Talk N Text Phonepals showed no mercy when they crushed, pounded and literally made mincemeat of the defenses of the Welcoat Dragons en route to a 115-99 victory. It was the third consecutive win for the Phonepals and gives them a piece of the lead with the Brgy Ginebra Gin Kings. The loss was the Dragons' second in three outings.

Harvey Carvey topscored for the Phonepals with a game-high 22 points on 11-12 shooting from the field. Shooter Renren Ritualo scored 20 points and 6-7 Anthony Washington had another double-double performance with 18 points and 11 boards. What's noticeable from the Phonepals is their new revved up up-tempo offense that the honed up in their workouts and preseason games abroad. Welcoat guard Denver Lopez had a career-defining game with 21 points backstopped by Rob Wainwright's 18 points. Rookie Jay-R Reyes had another solid game with 15 points.

First Game:
Talk N Text 115 = Carey 22, Ritualo 20, Washington 18, Taulava 16, Allado 12, Cardona 8, Alapag 7, Belano 7, Fran 3, Pablo 2, Andaya 0.
Welcoat 99 = Lopez 21, Wainwright 18, Reyes 15, Cabatu 13, Gelig 10, Tangkay 10, Sta. Maria 4, Lao 4, Ibanes 2, Baguion 2, Mente 0.
Quarterscores: 33-26, 60-38, 84-66, 115-99

Red Bull 86 = Villanueva 14, Valenzuela 11, Pennisi 10, Sharma 9, Baguio 9,Najorda 8, Fonacier 7, Robinson 7, Alvarez 6, Tugade 3, Cruz 2, Bugia 0.
Quarterscores: 25-24, 54-45, 79-67, 105-86

Source: John Arigo: d' Arsenal's Official FanSite

The Coca-Cola Tigers had their breakout game in the 2006-07 PBA campaign Friday, roaring back from a sorry upset the last time out with an upset of their own.

Little changes in their roster seemed to make a big difference for the Tigers who nailed their first win in the Talk n Text PBA Philippine Cup with a king-sized 105-86 reversal of the favored Red Bull side at the Cuneta Astrodome. Chris Pacana and Mike Gavino both made an impact in their debut in the pros, helping the Tigers redeem themselves from a 75-85 loss to the Welcoat Dragons Sunday.

The Tigers bowed to the Alaska Aces in their maiden game in the season last October 4.

Coca-Cola handled Red Bull so well that the Tigers led by as many as 20 points before eventually handing the Barakos their first loss in three starts.

"Mike Gavino helped us on the boards and Chris Pacana helped set control. But the real key was that everybody was willing to fight. Everybody was willing to give five minutes, six minutes or whatever minutes of hard work," said Coca-Cola coach Binky Favis.

"We also got lucky our shots fell. Part of the luck was that Red Bull was a bit off," Favis added.

Doing well with his current lineup is no guarantee though that Favis will play the rest of the tourney with the same group.

"We’re in the process of rotating our guys. We want to see how well everybody plays in certain situations. It’s part of our measurement how long they could stay," Favis explained.

Pacana and Gavino, who took over from fellow rookies Ronjay Enrile and RJ Rizada, acquitted themselves well with the Tigers in their first official game in the pros. Pacana contributed 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes while Gavino chipped in six points and the same number of rebounds in 20 minutes.

John Arigo scattered 27 points while Ali Peek had a double-double game with 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Tigers, who drew career-high 12 points each from top rookie Joseph Yeo and sophomore Neil Raneses.

The Barakos were obviously frustrated with their performance with Junthy Valenzuela being banished from the game on a couple of flagrant fouls. Enrico Villanueva had his own flagrant infraction curiously committed against old rival Joseph Yeo.

Valenzuela will automatically serve a one-game suspension as a result of his ejection.

Drawing significant numbers from Pacana right at the start, Coca-Cola took command early and sat on a nine-point cushion, 54-45, at halftime.

The Tigers had earlier nine-point spreads but lost these as they ran into a maze of errors while being pressed by the Barakos midway through the second quarter.

The Barakos had to lean on defense to stay in the thick of the battle as they faltered on the other end of the court in the first 24 minutes of play.

Shock trooper Carlo Sharma paced Red Bull with eight points in the opening half where the whole team shot only 38.5 percent from the field. The Tigers, on the other hand, hit at a 42.5-percent clip.

The Tigers also did better in the battle off the boards, 33-27. (NC)

Source: pba.ph