Hotdogs even matters vs Aces

Derrick Brown came out smoking the night he was named the best import, leading Purefoods to an 82-76 win over Alaska that forced a two-game deadlock in their Samsung PBA Governors Cup best-of-seven title showdown at the Araneta Coliseum yesterday.

Brown, emerging Governors Cup top import for the second time in the last three years, dished out a swashbuckling performance that netted 46 points.

He scored 11 points in the first quarter, 13 in the second, 10 in the third and 12 in the fourth as he bounced back from a mediocre 21-point showing in Game Three, enabling the Hotdogs to sustain a solid game for a second straight win.

Thus, the Hotdogs are back on track in their bid to win a first title in the last five years. They seek the go-ahead win in the series now reduced to a best-of-three affair tomorrow also at the Big Dome.

"It’s a good day for us. We swept the Best Import and the Best Player of the Conference awards and scored the crucial win that put us back on track to become the best team in the tournament," said acting Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio.

"The win will boost our morale and confidence. Hopefully, we can keep our game going on Tuesday to get into the driver’s seat in the series," he added.

The Hotdogs duplicated their Game Three victory despite senior players Alvin Patrimonio and Ronnie Magsanoc nursing injuries.

Brown and Kelvin Price blended well with the young Purefoods mainstays as they outplayed an Alaska team which couldn’t get its act together at crunchtime.

James Head was in his element but not Ron Riley who struggled for only 12 points.

The Aces managed to take a 41-40 lead at the half with John Arigo scoring 10 points off the bench in the second period, fueling their rally from a 14-20 deficit at the end of the first canto.

The Hotdogs started the third quarter with a decisive 16-6 attack to seize the lead for good at 56-47.

The Aces trimmed the gap to one at 64-65 early in the fourth and were just down by two at 71-73 before Brown made a killer run of his own to eventually scuttle Alaska’s bid at 79-70.

There were other Purefoods heroes. There was Roger Yap who played extended minutes for the second game, delivering significant numbers. He had nine points, six rebounds and the same number of assists.

There were also Rey Evangelista, named Best Player of the Conference earlier, and Kerby Raymundo who combined for 15 points, 12 rebounds and five assists.