Thursday, May 10, 2007 Express beats Tigers for solo 2nd
THE Air21 Express snared the solo second spot in the 2007 Talk ’N Text PBA Fiesta Conference after tallying a nail-biting 86-85 win yesterday over the Coca Cola Tigers at the Araneta Coliseum.
The victory was the Express’ ninth in 13 games and moved them up a notch higher, next to the league-leading Barangay Ginebra Kings in the standings.
A game after scoring a career-high 40 points, Gary David again came out as the most explosive weapon for the Express as he nailed 20 markers on top of five boards and three steals to emerge as the Best Player of the Game.
Import Shawn Daniels also worked wonders in the Express’ offensive and defensive ends as the burly reinforcement tallied a total of 13 points and 18 rebounds to help Air21 secure the win.
The Tigers, which fell to 5-8, took control of the game in the opening quarter as they established a 28-19 edge at the end of the opening period behind the hot shooting of import Jeff Varem.
But the Express’ engine suddenly caught fire in the second canto as they outscored the Tigers, 29-15, as David started hitting his marks to help Air21 overtake Coca Cola, 48-43, at the bend.
The Express maintained their momentum in the next phase as they held Coke at bay, taking a 72-66 lead going into the final phase.
The Tigers crawled back into the game in the final stretch behind John Arigo as they managed to slash the lead to just a point, 85-86, after a trey from Leo Avenido off an Arigo pass in the last 35.1 seconds.
Coke was given the chance to steal the win after David miffed his three-point attempt but Arigo was blocked on his way to the basket by Arwind Santos, who forced a rebound play with just 1.4 seconds to go.
Varem top scored for the Tigers with 24 points and 19 rebounds, while Arigo and Ali Peek added 23 and 16 points, respectively for Coca Cola. (JSV)
