The San Miguel Beermen vaulted to the top of the standings, defeating the Barangay Ginebra Kings, 91-86, in overtime Sunday night in the 2009-2010 KFC PBA Philippine Cup at the jampacked Araneta Coliseum. Jonas Villanueva knocked in 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting, including crucial baskets during the overtime period, as he led the Beermen to their 12fth win in 15 games. The Kings suffered their sixth loss in 14 games as they tied the Purefoods TJ Giants at fourth to fifth spot. San Miguel's rise to the top was made possible following the Alaska Aces' stunning 92-105 upset loss to the lowly Coca-Cola Tigers in the first match of the doubleheader. The defeat dropped the erstwhile league-leading Aces to second place, now sporting an 11-2 win-loss slate. The loss also snapped Alaska's five-game win streak. The upset win was the second straight for the Tigers after their 108-94 win against the Burger King Whoppers last week. Their third win in 14 games pushed the Tigers out of a tie for last place with the idle Barako Bull Energy Boosters (2-11), giving them a bigger chance to stave off elimination and claim a wildcard spot in the post-elimination round of the conference. Mark Macapagal led the Tigers with 19 points, 17 of them in the first half. Twin towers Asi Taulava and Dennis Espino, who was celebrating his 36th birthday, chipped in with 18 each. The Aces played a lackluster game, shooting only 40 percent from the field (35 of 86) and giving up 21 points on fastbreak points. In contrast, Coca-Cola shot a high 63 percent from the field. Willie Miller had 17 points on a 7-of-15 shooting from the floor and Joe de Vance added 16 for the Aces. Coca-Cola played with a grim determination to win right at the start of the game as Macapagal went 4-for-4 from the floor for 11 points in the first quarter. Coca-Cola led by as many as 30 points, 90-60, early in the fourth period. Coca-Cola head coach Bo Perasol admitted that his team could not have beaten the Aces if the latter were on form. “When it plays its best we won't have a chance against Alaska. So when Alaska let us grab the win, we grabbed it,” Perasol said. Earlier Saturday, the defending champion Talk N Text Tropang Texters bumped off the Purefoods TJ Giants, 101-98, in a road game in Cagayan de Oro City. Jimmy Alapag led the Texters with 17 points despite playing with a hamstring injury. The win propelled Talk N Text (9-5) to solo third in the standings, giving the Texters a mathematical chance to take one of the two outright semifinals slots. The Giants fought the Texters fiercely for most parts of the game but wilted down the stretch as they went scoreless in the final minute of play. James Yap led all scorers with 28 points but failed to score the key baskets when his team needed them most. __
