Strong comeback

The Purefoods Hotdogs made good their vow of stopping the Alaska charge last night, carving out an emphatic 80-66 victory to move back in the thick of things in the Samsung PBA Governors Cup Finals at the Araneta Coliseum.

Kelvin Price, who left a big void in Purefoods‘ game on his early ouster on fouls in Game Two, returned to dish out a remarkable showing and his teammates did their part as the Hotdogs checked their skid, foiling the Aces’ bid to virtually put the wraps on the title.

The Hotdogs pulled one solid game in a big comeback from their sorry losses in the first two games of the series, making the first seven points of the contest, building an insurmountable 47-26 lead with plenty of time left in the first half and simply coasting along in the final half.

"I think that was pouring out of our frustration in Game Two. We put in a lot of effort in that game and still went short of winning that game. We came out to exert a lot more effort tonight," said Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio.

"This is nothing bizarre. It really happens. They’re desperate and they came out with a lot of energy. We’re not able to match their energy," said Alaska coach Tim Cone.

Alaska once again seeks to make a two-game gap in the series while Purefoods tries to even things up as they collide in Game Four Sunday also at the Big Dome.

Derrick Brown, the top favorite for the Best Import award, made only 21 points – 19 below his average in the series – but three other Hotdogs scored in double figures with two more putting in significant contributions in hustle plays.

Price matched his conference-best 20 points while Ray Evangelista added 13 and Kerby Raymundo chipped in 10. Roger Yap, who sat out Game Two because of an injury, and Richard Yee, combined for 12 points, 11 rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocks.

"That was Kelvin Price’s coming-out party. He started out strong, shooting very well from the field and that helped us score that lopsided win," said Gregorio of Price.

Averaging only 12 points in the series, Price dished out a statement game last night, scattering 10 points in the first quarter and adding eight in the second before concentrating on defense, with Purefoods already in full control in the final half.

The Purefoods locals carried the scoring load in the final two quarters of play, maintaining leads of no less than 15 points for the team. Sitting on a 52-32 cushion at the turn, the Hotdogs unleashed an 8-2 run to start the third quarters as they enjoyed their biggest lead at 60-32.

Seeing the futility of more efforts from Ron Riley and James Head, Cone opted to save the energy of his imports for the next game. "We’re out to win the series," he said.