THE POWERADE Tigers closed in on the Barako Bull Energy, 99-95, to improve their place in the standings with the quarterfinals looming on the horizon in the 2011 PBA Philippine Cup yesterday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Tigers, currently seeded 8th in the standings with a 6-8 (win-loss) mark, crept to within a half game with the Energy, who now tote a 6-7 record after the loss.
Sean Anthony provided the hustle and the spunk needed by the Tigers to avenge the 78-117 shellacking that they received at the hands of Barako Bull in the first meeting in this conference.
Anthony scored 17 points, including two free-throws that sealed the win for the Tigers as it gave them a 99-95 lead with 4.8 seconds left.
He scored 11 of his points in the third quarter as Powerade overhauled a 45-48 deficit and turned it into a 70-64 lead heading to the last stanza.
The Tigers are trying to avoid becoming the eighth seed as they will end up facing the top seeded squad in the quarterfinals. Making the uphill climb even more difficult is the fact that the first and second-seeded teams will take on the seventh and eighth ranked squads, armed with a twice-to-beat advantage.
Rookies Marcio Lassiter and JV Casio played beyond their neophyte status as they pumped in 20 and 17 points, respectively. Lassiter, in particular, was lethal going to the rim as his layup with 1:39 remaining gave Powerade a 95-87 cushion.
Willie Miller ended up with 19 points, nine of which came in the first quarter where Barako Bull led, 26-22. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio