Semis Game 3 crowd breaks PBA box office records

MANILA, Philippines -- The PBA broke box office records in last night's double header with 23,108 paying fans packing the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The mammoth crowd was treated to an exciting pair of crucial Game Threes that saw the Alaska Aces winning over the San Mig Coffee Mixers, 89-82, in overtime in the curtain raiser. In the main game, the majority of the record crowd was silenced by the Talk n Text Tropang Texters' second half juggernaut to overhaul a five-point halftime deficit and won by a mile, 98-80, against the crowd favorite Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel Kings.

The record crowd is an all-time high for a PBA game eclipsing the previous record of 22, 902 that watched the Kings-Air21 Express Game 7 in the 2008 Fiesta Conference Finals.

"Last night’s highest recorded attendance speaks to the fans’ trust and belief in the PBA’s genuine pursuit of excellence. Records are meant to be broken. They are there precisely to serve as benchmarks, as an inspiration and a challenge to build on the legacy left by those who nurtured the league the past 37 years," PBA Commissioner Chito Salud said.

"I am extremely proud of our players, the team owners and club management for refusing to rest on laurels and for continuing to work believing that for the PBA, the best is yet to come. Our fans and our valued partners in media — as evidenced by their unwavering support and guidance — share this belief and we in the PBA cannot let them down. Congratulations to everyone who made this happen."

Both semifinal series will return to single game schedule starting tomorrow with the Kings-Texters clash at 6:30pm at the Big Dome. The Aces-Mixers resume on Saturday.