Mat stars as Gems get back at Lakers

Mat Mitchell came through with 30 points as he powered Cebuana Lhuillier to an emphatic 116-104 victory over former tormentor FedEx Laguna yesterday in the first phase of the 2001 MBA season at the Cebu City Coliseum.

Mitchell outplayed Jeffrey Flowers while attacking the lane and hitting the open men in a gem of a game that avenged their 95-100 setback to the Lakers two weeks ago. Mitchell spiked his explosive game with 12 rebounds, eight assists, five shotblocks and four steals.

The Lakers dropped to 3-4 as Flowers, the league's leading scorer and rebounder, was held to just 15 points and 11 rebounds by the tough defending Gems.

In San Juan, the Knights hung tough to beat Negros Slashers, 84-81, and gain a share of the lead with their victim at the San Juan gym.

Rafi Reavis had 22 points and 20 rebounds while Bruce Dacia hit 17 points to power the Knights to the victory, their seventh against three losses.

With Homer Se scoring on perimeter shots and Mitchell slashing through the Lakers' defense, the Gems led by as many as 24 points, 93-69, early in the fourth quarter.

The Lakers, however, refused to give up but could get no closer than nine points through a Free 3 by Simon, 100-109, with only a minute left in the contest.

With Flowers struggling, Chris Clay took up the cudgels for the Lakers as he scored 32 points, 18 coming in the fourth period. Only Biboy Simon made a double-digit output with 23 points as the rest failed to hit their stride. -- Joey Villar