FedEx drops axe on Purefoods

The Philippine Basketball Association instant-replay rule was used for the first time last night, enforced to determine a basket made by Jerry Codiñera at the buzzer.

After two slo-mo replays, the referees declared the basket counted – a verdict that had FedEx beating Purefoods, 77-76, and sending the Hotdogs to an early vacation in the Samsung PBA All-Filipino Cup at the Philsports Arena last night.

Codinera scored underneath the basket at the buzzer on an assist by Vergel Meneses but the referees couldn’t make up their mind right away whether to count the basket, so they sought the instant-replay rule.

The slo-mo replay showed it was really close but Codiñera was able to release the ball before the clock hit 00:00, thus FedEx earned the win and completed the quarterfinals cast in Group A with two weeks to go in the eliminations.

With the Hotdogs ousted, the Express, the San Miguel Beermen, the Alaska Aces and the Sta. Lucia Realtors were left to dispute the two slots in the semifinals in their group.

Suffering their 11th loss in 16 games, the Hotdogs also moved out of contention for an outright berth in the mid-season Asian Invitational Cup.

"It’s not really a nice win but, of course, we gladly take it," said FedEx coach Derrick Pumaren, who with the win also gained the right to coach the Group A selection in the 2003 All-Star Game on June 1.

Knowing fully well they couldn’t afford to lose anymore, the Hotdogs put up a brave front but went short of their bid and suffered a fatal fourth straight defeat.

Holding a 78-75 lead, the Hotdogs had a good shot at winning the game but Noy Castillo and Kerby Raymundo muffed crucial attempts in the closing seconds.

After gaining possession with eight seconds left following the miss by Raymundo, FedEx quickly sued for time and drew a play for Meneses.

The 6-foot-3 forward failed to shake off Rey Evangelista but found an open space for a crucial feed to Codinera who made the winning basket in the nick of time.

Limiting the Express to two field-goal baskets in the second quarter, the Hotdogs turned an eight-point deficit, 20-28, to an eight-point lead, 41-33, at the half.

The Hotdogs highlighted their big turnaround in the second period with a vicious 18-1 run sparked by Alvin Patrimonio and Rey Evangelista, giving the team a 38-29 with less than a minute left in the first half.

Billy Mamaril also made his presence felt their in their second-quarter rampage, slamming in a missed jumper by Rodney Santos that had Purefoods finally moving ahead at 29-28.

The Express, who took a 24-18 lead in the first quarter, suddenly lost their touch in the second period, going 2-of-22 from the field for a woeful 9.1 percent clip. The Hotdogs, on the other hand, enjoyed a 46.7 percent shooting in the period.

Curiously, the Hotdogs went on a roll in the second quarter with Andy Seigle riding the bench with three early fouls.