Top-seed Petron falls as San Mig ties series

THE SAN MIG Coffee Mixers bounced back from their double-digit Game 1 loss, holding off the Petron Blaze Boosters, 100-93, to tie their championship series of the 38th PBA Governors’ Cup last night at the Araneta Coliseum.

James Yap redeemed himself from a sub-par performance in the series-opener, firing 17 points as he, Joe Devane and Peter June Simon ably backed their hardworking import Marqus Blakely, who was adjudged Best Import prior to the start of the game.

Yap scored just eight points in Game 1, all in the fourth period when the Boosters had already torn the game apart en route to tallying a 100-84 victory.

Despite a miserable seven-for-21 shooting from the free throw line, Blakely still wound up with a team-high 23 points. Simon scored 16 points, while Devance finished with 15. Marc Pingris also scored in twin digits with 11.

The Mixers seized control of the game in the third and made sure there would be no repeat of their Game 1 endgame collapse as they never relinquished the lead after ending the first three quarters with a 74-62 lead.

It didn’t help for Petron that import Elijah Millsap fouled out in the final 3:29 with the Boosters leading, 87-76.

Millsap finished with a game-high 31 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, six short of his total feeds in Game 1.

Petron’s rising big man June Mar Fajardo also fouled with still 1:26 to play as well as Arwind Santos in the final 44.9 seconds.

Santos scored just four points in a game where he accepted the Best Player of the Conference accolade.

Fajardo had a solid 16- point and 14-rebound performance.

Chris Lutz was a big letdown for the Boosters as he failed to score a single point after scoring 11 points in Game 1.

BOX SCORES:

SAN MIG COFFEE (100)- Blakely 23, Yap 17, Simon 16, Devance 15, Pingris 11, Barroca 9, Mallari 8, Reavis 1, De Ocampo 0.

PETRON (93)- Millsap 31, Cabagnot 22, Fajardo 16, Lassiter 10, Tubid 5, Santos 4, Miranda 3, Kramer 2, Lutz 0./EDITORIAL ASSISTANT CALVIN D. CORDOVA