Jay R. Gotera Saudi Gazette MANILA — Still relishing their triumph in the Philippine Cup championship just two weeks ago, the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers showed little sign of fatigue as they demolished the GlobalPort Batang Pier, 91-75, Wednesday night in their PBA Commissioner's Cup debut at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. After a shaky first quarter where they found themselves trailing the Batang Pier by four points, 16-20, the Mixers started playing like hungry champions as they sprinted ahead to a 47-32 halftime lead, never allowing the Batang Pier to seriously threaten the rest of the way. San Mig head coach Tim Cone had the luxury of playing his bench players for long stretches, allowing veterans James Yap, Peter June Simon and Joe Devance to play less than 30 minutes each. GlobalPort managed to cut San Mig's lead to eight, 72-80, in the last six minutes of the match. But the Mixers responded with just enough burst of firepower to send the Batang Pier reeling to their third straight defeat in the conference. Six Mixers scored in double digits led by rookie Ian Sangalang, who banged in 16 points. Import James Mays finished with 15 points, six rebounds, and two steals. Marc Pingris flexed just enough muscle to collect 13 points and 12 boards. Mark Barroca added 11, while Simon and Yap scored 10 points apiece. Tireless import Evan Brock led GlobalPort with 27 points and a PBA record-shattering 28 rebounds on top of five steals and two assists. However, he failed to get much support from the GlobalPort locals who missed all 17 of their three-point attempts. Jay Washington was the only consistent local Batang Pier, scoring a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds. New recruit Alex Cabagnot, the former starting point guard of Petron Blaze, finished with just five points on a miserable 1-of-12 shooting from the field. Meralco 85, Alaska 76: The Meralco Bolts hardly missed the services of two indisposed key players as they stunned the defending champion Alaska Aces, 85-76, to notch their first win in the conference after debuting with a numbing loss against the San Miguel Beermen, 76-94. Import Brian Butch provided the most explosive firepower for the Bolts, finishing with 27 points, including six three-pointers. The 6'10” native of Wisconsin, USA, also grabbed 17 rebounds as he stood his ground against a highly physical Alaska defense. Jared Dillinger was down with bacterial infection while point guard Mike Cortez is still recovering from a torn meniscus on his right knee. Stepping up in their absence were Reynel Hugnatan (14 points), Gary David (12 points), and Cliff Hodge (12 points). The Aces dropped to a 1-2 win-loss card after another erratic performance. Their physical defense led to numerous fouls which the Bolts translated to 28 points from the free throw line. JV Casio led Alaska with 19 points, including 4-of-9 from beyond the three-point arc. Last year's Commissioners Cup Best Import Robert Dozier finished with 17 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks. Vic Manuel, newly acquired from Air21, begun his tour of duty for Alaska with six points and five rebounds, just two days after he was traded for Aldrech Ramos. Games Friday: Barako Bull vs. Air21 and San Miguel vs. Talk N Text.
