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Purefoods nears PBA finals sweep vs Alaska
Purefoods rallied back from an early 12-point deficit to hack out another thrilling win at the expense of Alaska, 79-78, as the Giants moved to the threshold of capturing the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup title via a sweep. KG Canaleta hit the game-tying three-pointer inside the final two minutes and Kerby Raymundo scored off a perfect spin move that put the Giants on top for good, 79-77, before watching Alaska crumble under extreme pressure with a series of turnovers and missed shots. Pandemonium broke inside the Araneta Coliseum the moment Willie Miller missed a floater inside the foul line at the final buzzer, formalizing Purefoodsâ third straight win in the series for a commanding 3-0 lead.
The scores: Purefoods 79 - Yap J. 14, Simon 12, Canaleta 8, Pingris 8, Reavis 8, Raymundo 8, Maierhofer 7, Yap R. 5, Allado 5, Salvador 3, Artadi 1. Alaska 78 - Miller 20, De Vance 16, Thoss 12, Dela Cruz 10, Tenorio 8, Hugnatan 6, Ferriols 4, Borboran 2, Fonacier 0. Quarterscores: 15-21, 36-44, 61-67, 79-78.
The Giants will go for all the marbles on Wednesday when Game 4 is played also at the Big Dome. No team in the 35-year history of the league has climbed back from such a huge deficit to win a best-of-seven duel. Counting back their three straight wins in the semifinals, the Giants have won their last six games, including their stirring 86-85 victory in Game 2. âNot until we get that win no. 4 will there be a celebration within the team," said a very cautious Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio. James Yap again topscored for the Giants with 14 points and PJ Simon added 12. But it was Canaleta who brought the team back to life after trailing by as many as 16-4 in the opening quarter. Canaleta shot 2-of-3 from three-point range to finish with eight points. âHe bailed us out when the chips were down," said Gregorio of the slam dunking forward out of University of the East. Jondan Salvador (center) of Purefoods loses control of the ball as Alaska defenders Tony De La Cruz (right), John Ferriols and Mark Borboran (left) look on during Game 3 of the PBA Philippine Cup championship series Sunday at the Big Dome. GMANews.TV
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