sir Macky read nyo na lang wag kayo mabad trip ...happy reading


RP-SMB TRIPS SOUTH KOREA FOR 3RD STRAIGHT WIN
Pinoys share lead with USA, Russia


TAIPEI, Taiwan – It was payback time for Asi Taulava.

The pain of losing in the 2002 Asian Games semifinals via a last-second jumper still fresh in his mind, the 6-9 Taulava asserted his might in the paint and powered RP-San Miguel Beer to a thrilling 79-75 victory over South Korea Monday in the 27th R. William Jones Cup International basketball championships at the Taipei Physical Education College gym here.




Expecting the Koreans to break their plays down and force them to go to the perimeter, the Filipinos decided to pound the ball down low. The big men responded to the call and gave RP-SMB its third win in as many starts and the share of the lead in the 10-nation meet alongside the Americans and the Russians.



The United States, represented by Passing Lane Sports which also competed in the recent Global Hoops Summit like the Philippine-SMB squad, also improved to 3-0 when it defeated Kazakhstan 88-78 while the Samara team of Russia did the same with a 93-64 rout of Australia-AIS.



Playing his best game so far, Taulava scattered a team-high 14 points, mostly coming when the Nationals were making a run and when the Koreans started closing in. He got ample help from Kerby Raymundo, who also had his breakout game, chipping in nine points while holding his own on the other end against the Korean big men.



Though vengeance didn’t come at the expense of the players in the 2002 Asiad team as South Korea is represented in the Jones Cup by its 23-and-under team, Taulava said it’s still a reason for him to celebrate.



“It’s really feels good beating Korea,” said Taulava, part of the Philippine team which lost the chance for the gold in the 2002 Asiad in Busan when Lee Sang Min connected on a last-second shot. “That loss hurt a lot. And I’m glad we played a good game against Korea this time.”



Trailing 33-34 at the half, RP-San Miguel Beer’s big men buckled down to work in the second half. They took the ball strong to the hoop. When bottled up down low, they flicked the pass to Jay-Jay Helterbrand or Brandon Cablay. A three-point play by Helterbrand gave the Nationals a 69-56 lead with 6:26 to go in the game.



But just like the Energizer bunny, the Koreans kept going and going. Coach Jin Hyo-Joon let his long-range bombers loose. A three-pointer from Yang Hee-Jong sparked a big comeback that got Korea to within two twice, the last time at 75-77 on a split by Kim Yong-Hwan from the stripe, time down to 34.3 seconds.



A defensive lapse by the Koreans, however, allowed Dondon Hontiveros easy access to the lane for an easy layup with 14.8 seconds remaining. That basket pegged the final score as Kang Byung-Hun was called for traveling in the next play.



“Asi was a force on both offense and defense,” said national coach Chot Reyes, who played with only nine men after Willie Miller was sidelined due to injury. “It’s really the worst time to lose someone like Willie, when we’re up against a team like Korea. But people stepped up and everyone contributed.”



“The first one-third of the job is done. We’re up against a relatively light opponent tomorrow, and then the big games come in again,” Reyes added.



Kelly Williams, who scored only a solitary point in the Filipinos’ first two games, fired nine points, two coming from an alley-oop dunk that got the crowd on its feet early in the fourth period.



Despite their superb effort, RP-San Miguel Beer’s big men didn’t quite dominate the paint. Korean 6-9 center Joo ***-Soo challenged them in the lane and finished with a game-high 23 points for his team which suffered its first defeat in three games.



The Filipinos go up against India at 4 p.m. Tuesday.



In other games, ABC Champions Cup titlist Qatar improved to a 2-1 slate with a 78-69 victory over Japan while the Chinese-Taipei home team bounced back from a 95-74 drubbing the day before at the hands of the Americans by venting its ire on India 111-70 to also hike its record to 2-1.



The Japanese, Kazakhs, Australians and India share the cellar with their identical 0-3 slates.



The scores:



RP-SMB 79 – Taulava 14, Cablay 11, Helterbrand 11, Raymundo 9, Williams 9, Hontiveros 9, de la Cruz 7, Adducul 6, de Ocampo 3.



South Korea 75 – Joo 23, No 15, Yang 13, Kim YH 9, Kang 6, Kim J 5, Lee HM 4, Lee KJ 0, Song 0, Park 0.



Quarterscores: 17-18, 33-34, 59-51, 79-75.