Hot Tigers roar to 3rd win in row

MANILA, Philippines - Coca-Cola kept its mastery of Air21 and preserved a clean slate in the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference, pulling off a 100-96 decision over the Express in their Holy Wednesday showdown at the Araneta Coliseum last night.

James Penny and Gary David sizzled with 29 and 21 points, respectively, while the rest of the Tigers limited Keena Young to 14 points and forced the Express to season-high 32 turnovers.

The Tigers pounced on those Air21 miscues as they remained unscathed, carrying a perfect 3-0 win-loss record as the league takes a short Holy Week break.

Coach Bo Perasol and his troops go for win No. 4 versus the Barangay Ginebra Kings at the resumption of play at the Big Dome on Easter Sunday. Barako Coffee and Rain or Shine collide in the other game.

“I’m pleasantly surprised with our 3-0 start. To be honest, I didn’t expect that. I would be happy with 2-1,” said Perasol.

“Three-zero is a good start and hopefully we can sustain it. It’s a good run capped by this character-building game. As expected, we faced a tough fight against Air21,” Perasol said.

The Express dominated the boards but made numerous turnovers and reeled to their second loss against a win.

Seven Air21 players, including their import, committed at least three errors each as the Express suffered yet another beating at the hands of the Tigers – their tormentors in the Philippine Cup wildcard round.

The Tigers limited themselves to only 18 errors and ended up beating the Express, 20-13, on turnovers points.

Penny had another steady performance, leading all scorers with 29 points on 13-of-22 field-goal shooting.

The former Texas Christian U stalwart also grabbed crucial rebounds and made a follow-up shot and a charity at endgame to help the Tigers clinch the victory.

In a close game marked by four deadlocks and 10 lead changes, the Express had their last taste of the lead at 91-87 with 3:54 left to play.

The Tigers surged ahead at 94-91 as Asi Taulava scored on a short stab, Norman Gonzales rifled in a trey then David buried two free throws on a 7-0 Coke roll.