B-MEG secured the twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinal round with just one sizzling first quarter performance.

The Llamados banked on a 28-11 start in the first 12 minutes in booking a spot in the top two with an expected 86-74 win over Shopinas.com in the 2011 PBA Philippine Cup Thursday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

James Yap, Josh Urbiztondo and Marc Pingris were responsible in erecting that huge lead as B-MEG never looked back and stretched its winning run to a season-high eight games and finished the elimination round with a 10-4 slot.

When Talk ‘N Text and Ginebra collide on Sunday, one could argue that the stakes are relatively smaller; whatever the result, the Tropang Texters will have a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals, while Ginebra will figure in a best-of-three affair.

Then Talk ‘N Text’s daredevil swingman Jared Dillinger tweeted about Mark Caguioa’s hairdo, and now all bets are off:

After struggling all-game long, Japeth Aguilar found a way to be useful for the limping Talk ‘N Text squad.

The former No. 1 overall pick completed two huge plays in the final 3.7 seconds and helped the Tropang Texters escape with a miraculous 80-78 win over Petron Blaze to clinch a twice-to-beat advantage in the next round of the 2011-12 PBA Philippine Cup Tuesday night at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Aguilar was in-and-out of the game due to poor performance and even got a mouthful from coach Chot Reyes on one occasion, but the former Smart Gilas mainstay kept his focus and returned in the closing seconds to bring his team the victory.

Powerade got the win it needed in preparation for a tough assignment in the quarterfinals as it toppled Barako Bull, 99-95, to end its elimination round campaign with a 6-8 mark in the 2011-12 PBA Philippine Cup Tuesday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Already tasked to face one of the top two teams in the quarterfinals, the Tigers showed that they knew how to win in the tight game as they came up with clutch plays in the endgame.

Published on December 5, 2011

JAMES Yap continues to lead the way for B-MEG. 

The two-time Most Valuable Player reiterated the fact anew when he spearheaded the Llamados’ drive to back-to-back wins in the week that was, in the process earning for himself the Accel-PBA Press Corps’ Player of the Week for the period Nov. 28 to Dec. 4.

Los Angeles Galaxy football superstar David Beckham certainly owned the past weekend in Manila, leading the Major League Soccer champions to a 6-1 rout of the Azkals. While the English icon was doing his bending on the pitch, we couldn’t help but think about his past hairstyles — and how they eerily seem to share the same history of the hairstyles of another Pinoy fan favorite, Mark “The Spark” Caguioa of Barangay Ginebra.

So which hairdo looked better on whom? You tell us. See Picture Comparison

Published on December 2, 2011

Mark Caguioa teamed up with Willy Wilson for the winning play in the closing seconds as Barangay Ginebra edged Petron Blaze, 91-89, to formalize its entry into the PBA Philippine Cup playoffs at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Friday. 

“We wanted set screens for Mark (Caguioa) but he was smart enough to find an open teammate (Wilson),” said Ginebra coach Siot Tanquingcen. 

A defensive breakdown by the Boosters left Wilson open to make the winning basket with 5.5 ticks left to play.

Published on December 2, 2011

MERALCO is safely in the playoffs. So why risk injuries to players by playing hard, right? Wrong. 

The Bolts came out with the same passion and intensity of a ballclub hanging on for its dear life, making the key defensive stops down the stretch in overcoming Powerade Friday night, 100-98, in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum. 

 Sol Mercado scored 23 points and Gabby Espinas collected 14 points, 11 rebounds and two critical blocks in the fourth quarter as Meralco eclipsed the seven victories it posted in its maiden tournament – the Philippine Cup – last season.

Barangay Ginebra labored its way into the quarterfinal round after snapping Petron Blaze’s six-game winning streak with a pulsating 91-89 win in the 2011-12 PBA Philippine Cup Friday night at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Mark Caguioa rebounded from poor performances in the past three games with 22 points and a crucial assist to Willy Wilson in the closing seconds for the go-ahead basket.

The Kings then forced Danny Ildefonso into a desperation heave that failed to hit the mark, as the Boosters fell to second place in the standings with a 9-4 win-loss slate.

Meralco derailed Powerade’s entry into the quarterfinal stage after pulling off a hard-earned 100-98 win in the 2011-12 PBA Philippine Cup Friday night at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

The Bolts needed a pair of defensive stops from Gabby Espinas to preserve the win and boost their own chance for a possible playoff for the No. 2 spot as they improved their mark to 8-5.

The loss also ended the Tigers’ two-game run, and dropped their win-loss record to 5-8 slate. It also meant that Alaska (3-9) is still in contention for the last quarterfinal seat.