MANILA, Philippines - B-Meg seeks a follow-up on its initial win the last time out while three winless ball clubs hope to finally get over the hump at the resumption of the PBA Governors Cup eliminations at the Araneta Coliseum today.
The Llamados tangle with the Alaska Milk Aces at 7:30 p.m., proceeding the 5 p.m. tiff between the Powerade Tigers and the Air21 Express.
Prized Fil-Am forward Joe De Vance meets his former teammates for the first time since his recent transfer from Alaska to Air21 then finally to B-Meg.
“I’m approaching it as just another game. We need to be ready as I’m sure they will play their best game of the conference,” said De Vance.
PJ Simon sizzled with 33 points coming off the bench and import Stefon Hannah showed improvement from his so-so debut as B-Meg broke into the win-column with a 103-90 conquest of the Tigers Friday.
B-Meg coach Jorge Gallent hopes Hannah to get going, saying their crippled lineup needs boost from their import.
“From a guy who won the last NBA D-League Finals MVP award, I don’t think he has shown his potential. Maybe, he’s not yet used to our brand of basketball,” said Gallent. “We need more from him especially on the offensive end.”
Hannah had a pitiful game in the league opener versus Rain or Shine, missing his first 16 field-goal attempts before nailing a first basket midway through the third quarter.
After an eight-point and eight-rebound debut, Hannah improved with nine assists, eight points, seven rebounds and five steals to help the Llamados get past the Tigers.
The Tigers, the Express and the Aces all seek to get their own breakthrough win tonight.
“We make it very simple. We need to win to get our bearings back. The team is committed to do everything in our capacity to make it happen,” said Powerade coach Bo Perasol.
The Express also vow to go all-out, treating the match a virtual must-win game after dropping their first two games in the short elimination phase.
“It’s a must-win to have a chance (to get a ticket to the six-team semifinal round),” said Air21 coach Bo Perasol.
The Tigers and the Aces are in the same situation with the Express, losing their first two games in the tourney.
But for Alaska, it’s also just another game.
“The last time we started the conference with two losses, it was with Diamon Simpson and we liked how it ended. So there’s no panic in our thoughts,” said Alaska coach Tim Cone. “But we do realize that this is a shorter conference and we have to have a much greater sense of urgency and we have to play the game a lot harder. We have to step everything up.”