James Yap (right) rises for a shot, soaring over the defense of Alaska Ace Sonny Thoss. KC Cruz
Tim Cone looks like he has found his perfect mix right from the onset of the new season.
Yancy De Ocampo and James Yap combined for 23 points in the first quarter alone, as the San Mig Coffee Mixers, formerly the B-MEG Llamados, put on a show on offense, burying the Alaska Aces 103-83, Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
"We're so scared by our preseason that we came in very focused tonight," said San Mig Head Coach Tim Cone, whose team lost to the Aces twice in the preseason. "Everybody's a little bit frightened. Everybody came out focused. Everybody played well. When everything clicks for you, you get a 20-point win."
The victory also kept Cone's record against his former team spotless in the PBA, in turn, ruining the debut of Luigi Trillo as the Aces' new bench tactician, after a stint as the interim coach in the Governors' Cup.
Both teams started out strong, before San Mig had Yancy De Ocampo and James Yap build an eight point lead, 18-10, halfway through the first. Alaska had the twin towers of Sam Eman and Sonny Thoss down low, but De Ocampo continued to outclass his younger counterparts for 11 of his own in the first quarter alone.
A Yap triple, followed by a pair of Mark Barroca free throws had the Coffee Mixers up 11, 30-19, before rookie Raffy Reyes sandwiched two PJ Simon conversions with his own treys to end the first quarter, 34-25.
San Mig continued to be relentless at the start of the second, as a De Ocampo jumper brought the lead up to 15, 40-25. Yap also continued to sizzle, hitting an impossible shot over Baguio's defense to make it 50-32.
De Ocampo's solid defense down low led to a pair of baskets from Simon, but Mac Baracael and Jayvee Casio strung seven points together to bring down the lead to 15, drawing a timeout from Tim Cone. An exchange of baskets from Marc Pingris and Thoss finished the quarter with San Mig taking care of a 15 point lead, 57-42.
PJ Simon and Marc Pingris of San Mig Coffee (center) scramble for the loose ball while Alaska Aces Mac Baracael and Cyrus Baguio (right) prepare to dive into the fray. Nuki Sabio
The Coffee Mixers continued to grow their advantage, as another rookie, Aldrech Ramos, made it a 22-point spread with four minutes left in the third, 69-47. A couple of triples and a lay-up from veteran Dondon Hontiveros brought the lead down to 13 with two minutes left in the period. However, Ramos was there once more, responding with his own top of the key three at the other end to douse the Alaska attack. Yap and Simon then padded their lead back up to 19, 75-56, with a quarter left to play.
Come the fourth, the Aces could not put a stop to the sweet shooting of the Coffee Mixers, with the lead sitting constantly at 20 points. A couple of Brandon Cablay baskets plus a Gabby Espinas conversion brought the lead to its lowest at 15, 90-74, with four minutes remaining, but starter Jonas Villanueva hit timely jumpers to stave off any form of a comeback.
Yancy De Ocampo was the best player of the game with 22 big points, 13 rebounds and six assists. James Yap added 20 markers on an efficient 8-of-12 shooting night, while the Mixers' point guard tandem of Mark Barroca and Jonas Villanueva combined for 22 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists.
Dondon Hontiveros top-scored for Alaska with 14 markers off the bench, while Cyrus Baguio had 13. Mac Baracael and Gabby Espinas had 12 each in the losing effort.
The Aces were without 2012 second overall pick Calvin Abueva though, as the reigning NCAA MVP will only join his team once the collegiate season is over. - AMD, GMA News
The scores:
SMCM 103 - De Ocampo 22, Yap 20, Barroca 16, Simon 16, Ramos 6, Villanueva 6, Pingris 5, Gonzales 4, Reavis 4, Gaco 2, Devance 2, Ponferada 0, Pacana 0.
ALA 83 - Hontiveros 14, Baguio 13, Baracael 12, Espinas 12, Dela Cruz 8, Cablay 7, Reyes 6, Thoss 6, Casio 3, Eman 2, Belasco 0.
Quarter scoring: 34-25, 57-42, 75-56, 103-83
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