Jay R. Gotera Saudi Gazette MANILA – Venting all their frustrations after four straight defeats, the Barangay Ginebra Kings exploded in volcanic fashion to finally nail their first victory in the PBA Commissioner's Cup. Led by reigning MVP Mark Caguioa and energetic import Vernon Macklin, the Kings demolished the Barako Bull Energy Cola, 93-72, Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Caguioa was named Best Player of the Game after finishing with 23 points, four rebounds, two assists and four steals. In his second game in the PBA, Macklin added 21 points, 14 rebounds, and four assists. Mac Baracael contributed 14 points, while LA Tenorio chipped in with 10. The fans roared with delight as the Kings finally showed the kind of intensity on both ends of the court that was sorely missing in their previous games. With their sticky, pressing defense, the Kings limited the Energy Cola to a miserable 25.6 percent shooting from the field in the first half which Ginebra took, 39-26. Overall, Ginebra shackled Barako Bull to just 33.8 percent shooting and forced 23 turnovers. Despite the victory, Ginebra (1-4) remained at the bottom of the standings. The Kings stayed ferocious in the second half as they continued pouring in the points to take a 28-point lead, 84-56, with five minutes left in the game. Evan Brock and Josh Urbiztondo led Barako Bull with 16 points apiece. The win was also a first for Ginebra's new head coach, the pony-tailed Alfrancis Chua, who took over from Siot Tanquingcen at the end of the last season. In the first game of the Wednesday double-header, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters survived the fouling out of their import, eking out a 99-97 win against the spirited Air21 Express. It was the E-Painters' third straight win after a first-game loss as Rain or Shine tied idle Petron at second place in the rankings. Despite his foul trouble, import Bruno Sundov still led the E-Painters with 17 points and five rebounds. The 7-3 Croatian center eventually fouled out with 1:15 remaining in the game and the Express closing in on the E-Painters' lead. With Sundov out, the Express rallied and had two chances of catching up with the E-Painters. But Wynne Arboleda missed an open three-point shot that could have given Air21 the lead. In their next offensive thrust, Mike Cortez found their import Michael Dunigan wide open under the basket but Dunigan was unable to catch his lob pass. Last year's top rookie Paul Lee added 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, while Ryan Arana finished with 11 points, three rebounds and four assists. Top Rain or Shine gunner Jeff Chan remained sidelined due to a fractured left finger. Dunigan led Air21 with 22 points, 17 of them in the second half as he took advantage of the foul-plagued Sundov. Air21 suffered its third straight loss since its 74-70 victory against Ginebra.
