PBA: Tigers snap skid, outlast Coffee Masters in OT

The hump is over for Coca-Cola. The Tigers rallied back from a double-digit deficit and agonizingly went through overtime to survive the Barako Coffee Makers, 105-100, and arrest their alarming losing skid in the PBA Fiesta Cup. Two free throws by Gary David in the final 61 seconds of the extra period broke a tight 100-100 contest and capped a crucial 5-0 closing run that clinched for the Tigers a game they trailed majority of the way at the Araneta Coliseum Sunday night.

David went 9-of-16 from the field to finish with 25 points, while import Rashad Bell had a team-high 33, including two free throws in the final 5.9 seconds for the game’s marginal count. It was only the fifth win in 12 outings for the Tigers, who jumpstarted their campaign with a 3-0 mark only to lose eight of their last nine games, including seven in a row. The last time they won was two months ago (March 31) against Air21, 100-96. “I do not know if I would have it the other way around, meaning that if we could have won by a wide margin," said Coca-Cola coach Bo Perasol. “But we need this kind of a win, to fight back from a big deficit. It was a tough seven-game skid. I, personally, am losing the confidence to coach this team." Coke trailed by as many as 12 points in the opening half, stared at a 62-71 deficit entering the fourth, and was still behind, 88-91, going into the final two minutes of regulation. But Bell drove hard to the basket and David hit an open trey to give the Tigers their first lead in the second half, 93-91, with 35 seconds left. Sam Monroe tied the score at the other end, 93-93, before both teams failed to buy a basket in their respective plays that set up an extra five-minute stretch. The Coffee Makers opened the extra period with four straight points, but the Tigers countered with seven in a row, capped by a completed three-point play by Asi Taulava to put his team on top, 100-97. Barako had one more fight left, though. Leo Najorda nailed the last of his 24-point output with a big three-pointer, tying the game for the last time at 100. The loss was a big blow for the Coffee Makers, who went a notch down the standings for a tie with Air21 at the cellar with 2-11 cards. “Really bad," said Coffee Makers coach Junel Baculi of the setback, the franchise’s fifth in a row and 24th in their last 27 games dating back to the Philippine Cup. “Unfortunately, the players made bad decisions in the end. Bottom line is the team, as a whole, is not pushing the right buttons when it comes to pressure situations." This marked the second straight game Barako Coffee allowed the game to slip away from its hands. Prior to their game against the Tigers, the Coffee Masters almost succeeded in recording the greatest comeback in recent memory, wiping out a 31-point lead before failing to convert on its final offensive possession and dropped a 99-98 decision against Air21. - RCJ, GMANews.TV