MANILA, Philippines - Powerade worked behind a souped-up lineup to spoil the debut of newcomer Shopinas.com, 98-87, and start its campaign in the 2011-12 PBA Philippine Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome last night.
The Tigers, who never had a chance to test injured top draft pick Jayvee Casio, came out roaring, breaking away early and bucking the Clickers’ second-half chase for the big opening game romp in the tournament where they finished second-to-last the previous season.
Gary David, the past season’s scoring champ, came through with 31 points for the Tigers who also drew double-digit outputs from Celino Cruz, Josh Vanlandingham and Marcio Lassiter.
Powerade coach Bo Perasol said he’s happy with the win but far from being satisfied on how they defended against the young Shopinas team.
“I think we could have limited Shopinas more. Shopinas is a new team. If we struggle against Shopinas, we’ll struggle even more against the tougher teams,” said Perasol.
Despite the loss, Shopinas governor Sheila Lina, meanwhile, had good words for her team.
“The fighting spirit was there and I felt that the young fans can relate with us,” said Lina. “It showed that we have a long way to go but at the same time showed what’s to come for us. The other teams should be wary once we start clicking.”
Powerade’s experience proved to be a big factor in the contest, prevailing over Shopinas’ youth.
Cruz, the team’s veteran playmaker, delivered 15 points, four assists, two steals and one rebounds, getting the team together after seeing a 24-point lead trim down to two at 69-67.
Casio, the former Smart Gilas ace playmaker who could become a big part of the Powerade future, sat out the game to rest his injured knee. He may miss two more games before finally making his pro debut.
The Tigers re-established control on a 10-3 closing run in the third period and preserved the win, negating the second-half exploits of Clickers Renren Ritualo, James Sena and Jojo Duncil.
Powerade led by as many as 24 at 40-16 before taking the half at 55-42.
The Tigers sizzled with a 64.7-percent field-goal shooting as against the Clickers’ 31.8-percent clip in the first 12 minutes of play.
Governors Cup title-holder Petron Blaze charged back from an early double-digit deficit and beat out B-Meg in a tough battle at the finish for a 73-69 win in the nightcap.
Chris Lutz, a product of the Smart Gilas program, acquitted himself with Petron right away, putting up a team-high 19 points that went with four rebounds, three steals and one block in 37 minutes of play. He played extended minutes with Dondon Hontiveros hurting his foot just six minutes into the game.
David went 4-of-5 from the field and 3-of-3 from the stripe as he piled up double-digit output right in the opening quarter.
Shopinas.com began to put semblance of a fight after Ritualo sparked a run with back-to-back long bombs midway through the second period.
The Clickers clicked in the second quarter, converting 62.5 percent of their shots.
Ritualo banged away three treys and paced the Clickers with 19 points while Sena, a draft pick by San Miguel last year, churned out a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
The scores:
First Game
Powerade 98 – David 31, Cruz 15, Vanlandingham 14, Lassiter 10, Antonio 8, Lingganay 6, Kramer 6, Anthony 4, Calimag 4, Adducul 0.
Shopinas.com 87 – Ritualo 19, Sena 15, Duncil 11, Mirza 9, Sison 8, Hermida 7, Espiritu 6, Jazul 6, Menor 6, Canlas 0, Canta 0, Se 0.
Quarterscores: 37-16, 55-42, 79-71, 98-87
Second Game
Petron 73 – Lutz 19, Cabagnot 17, Santos 11, Miranda 8, Sharma 6, Ildefonso 5, Guevarra 3, Agustin 2, Yeo 2, Baclao 0, Hontiveros 0.
B-Meg 69 – Simon 21, Yap J. 10, Raymundo 10, Devance 9, Yap R. 9, Ferriols 4, Barroca 2, Reavis 2, Maierhofer 1, Pingris 1, Urbiztondo 0.
Quarterscores: 13-22, 36-38, 58-54, 73-69, 73-69