James Yap breaks slump, tows Llamados to easy win vs Express

B-MEG Derby Ace pounded a listless Air21 side Wednesday night to register a breakthrough win in the PBA Commissioner's Cup at the Astrodome in Pasay City.

James Yap snapped out of a scoring slump and scored 18 of his 22 points in the first half of a 121-92 Llamados blowout of the Express that came at about the same time that Air21 and San Miguel finally consummated the biggest trade so far this season. Yap finished 8-of-12 from the field in a remarkable shooting performance that was far from the combined 9-of-32 attempts, including a paltry 1-of-10 clip from three-point range, he had in the Llamados’ twin losses against Rain or Shine and Powerade. As a whole, Derby Ace was just as impressive. The Llamados shot 56.5 percent from the floor and led by as many as 105-62. They waxed hot right from the start behind a 62.8 percent clip in the opening half to take a 64-42 lead at the turn. "We just woke up at the right side of the bed today," said Derby Ace coach Jorge Gallent. KG Canaleta paced the Llamados with 28 points, 14 coming in the third period. He was 11-of-15 from the field, including 6-of-8 from three-point range, at one time draining three straight baskets from downtown. With Yap and Canaleta finding their range, the Llamados were able to post the victory even with minimal contribution from import Sharmani Spears and the absence of Rico Maierhofer, who is out for the rest of the season after suffering an ACL injury in his right knee. Spears finished with just eight points on 3-of-11 shooting. Derby Ace's victory matched the biggest winning margin this season, recorded by Alaska in whipping Powerade, 96-67, in the Philippine Cup last Nov. 10. It was also the biggest winning margin by the franchise since a 103-69 triumph against Rain or Shine during the 2009-10 Philippine Cup, and its highest output since a 131-121 decision over Talk ‘N Text in the 2009 Fiesta Conference. The Express fell to 1-1 as they suffered their worst setback since a 115-80 loss to Sta. Lucia in the Philippine Cup on November 7 of the 2007-08 season, the franchise's all-time worst setback.. Second overall pick Rabeh Al-Hussaini shared scoring honors with Jay-R Reyes with 17 points as he played his last game with the franchise after playing for just one conference. Al-Hussaini was part of a massive trade between Air21 and San Miguel along with fellow rookies Noy Baclao and Rey Guevarra, who were shipped to the Beermen in exchange for veterans Dondon Hontiveros, Dorian Pena, Danny Seigle and Paul Artadi. Import Jeremy Robinson added 15 points and 10 rebounds. - KY, JVP, GMA News