Purefoods seeks to make it 3-0 vs Alaska Aces

Up two games to none in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup finals, Purefoods seeks to bury Alaska further when the Giants gun for a third straight win against a proud but embattled franchise Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

“We’re happy we’re up 2-0, but we’re not satisfied," said Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio.


The Giants go into Game 3 of the best-of-seven series – set at 6 p.m. – carrying with them a great resolve in the wake of their stirring 86-85 come-from-behind victory Friday night.

James Yap pumped a conference-high 32 points in a scintillating performance while Kerby Raymundo sealed it for the Giants by nailing the game-winning free throw in the final 1.7 seconds following a controversial call made on Alaska’s Joe Devance.

Game 2 was tied at that point, 85-all.

Coach Tim Cone naturally didn’t like the call and he made known his feeling for the entire weekend crowd to see when he berated the technical committee officials and referees seconds after the match together with team manager Joaqui Trillo.

“There was not any contact," said Trillo. “It (the game) may have gotten into overtime and they [Giants] could have won. But I don’t think they are happy with that kind of victory."

Gregorio shrugged off the allegations and stressed Purefoods got the breaks at endgame with that crucial call made by referee Raymundo Maurillo.

“It’s one of those calls which are game-altering whether called or not," he said. “We’re lucky it’s called [to Raymundo’s favor]," he said.


Until the final five minutes, the Giants’ five-game winning streak dating back to their semifinals series with San Miguel appeared on the verge of evaporating as they trailed, 64-78.

But that’s when James Yap came into Purefoods’ rescue, hitting back-to-back booming three-pointers to highlight the team’s improbable comeback in the stretch. His two free throws in the last 14 seconds finally had the Giants regaining the upperhand, 85-84.

Devance got a clear path to the baseline at the other end, and was fouled while going for a basket. He could only split his charities, though, to tie the game for the last time, and give the Giants 11 precious seconds to go for the game-winning shot.

“We really fought hard to come back. We’re down by 14 but we didn’t give up and kept on playing. We had a chance in the end and we grabbed the opportunity," Gregorio said.

“That showed the mental stability we have in our team," the Purefoods coach added.

Source: Author Unknown  | GMANews.TV