Tigers Devour Elasto Painters, 111-103

Starting their campaign without Asi Taulava, Powerade (formerly Coca-Cola) shifted to a sleek running game on its way to a 111-103 victory over Rain or Shine in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night.

The Tigers did a lot of running and gunning on Wednesday night, burying the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters behind an avalanche of points in a 111-103 win at the Araneta Coliseum.

Gary David fired a game-high 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the field, while Mark Macapagal added 19 for a Powerade team that also had three other players finishing in double figures.

The Tigers are now tied with rookie franchise Meralco Bolts and the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters for the early lead in the All-Filipino conference.

Although Powerade committed 33 turnovers, the team made up for it by sinking 11 three-point shots and a high 51-percent shooting from the field.

“I was kind of worried that we committed so many turnovers," admitted coach Bo Perasol in his post-game interview. “But at the back of my mind, this is the kind of payoff, that every chance we have, we’re going to run."

“We're small this season, but we're quicker. And that’s the emphasis of coach Bo, to take advantage of our quickness," David added.

Larry Rodriguez scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in his first game for Elasto Painters, while another newcomer on the Elasto Painters’ roster, Doug Kramer, also had a career-best of 19 markers – 15 of them coming in the first half.

Already missing the services of starting center Jay-R Reyes, the matter was made even worse as leading scorer Sol Mercado was held to just three points in the first half when the Tigers built the lead and momentum they needed.

Mercado found a way to make his presence felt on offense in the second half, but his efforts proved too late in the day as the Tigers already had the game way under control.

The Tigers earlier also lost grip of a 13-point lead after the Elasto Painters cut the deficit to within 69-73 in the third period.

But William Antonio sank a triple, David added a basket, and the two added two points each after that as the Tigers pulled away anew, 82-71.

Rookie Sean Anthony accounted himself well for the Tigers, scoring six points, dishing four assists and grabbing 12 rebounds in his PBA debut. - RCJ, GMANews.TV

Scores:
Powerade 111 – David 25, Macapagal 19, Reyes 10, Lanete 10, Antonio 10, Ritualo 8, Espino 7, Anthony 6, Mendoza 6, Calimag 4, Gonzales 3, Laure 2, Reyes 1, Rizada 0.

Rain or Shine 103– Rodriguez 23, Kramer 19, Norwood 17, Mercado 14, Arana 10, Vanlandingham 6, Buguia 4, Jazul 3, Chan 3, Tang 2, Ferriols 2, Cruz 0, Ibanes 0.

Quarter scores:30-28, 60-53, 87-79, 111-103