Bulls thump Tigers; Yeo, Rico at it again

If it were a boxing match, coach Binky Favis could have thrown in the towel to avoid severe punishment and embarrassment for the Coca-Cola Tigers.

In the aftermath of Manny Pacquuiao’s big win in Las Vegas, Red Bull came out with lopsided win of its own, clobbering Coca-Cola, 95-67, in the Talk n Text PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum last night.

But the match did lead to a brawl afterwards as old foes Enrico Villanueva and Joseph Yeo mixed it up outside the South Gate after the game. Mike Gavino sustained a deep cut in his left eyebrow, absorbing a wild punch while trying to separate the protagonists.

"Without prejudging the incident, it’s regrettable and I think this is a conduct unbecoming of a professional. We’ll not tolerate this," said PBA commissioner Noli Eala of the Villanueva-Yeo fracas.

The Bulls went for the kill in the third quarter to check a two-game skid and regain a piece of second place with the Barangay Ginebra Kings and the Purefoods Chunkee Giants at 7-4 (win-loss record).

The Bulls returned from the halftime huddle like a brawler, pouncing on the unsuspecting Tigers to pull away from a slim 39-34 lead at the turn.

Mick Pennisi went 4-of-6 from three-point land in the quarter where the Bulls outscored the Tigers, 33-15, to set the tone for the rout.

The 28-point blowout was the worst in the Coca-Cola franchise history. The Tigers’ previous low was by 27.

"It feels good to win on the same day Pacquiao wins. It’s like double-victory for us," said Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao. "I remember the last time Pacquiao fought. He won over Oscar Larios here and we won over San Miguel at the Astrodome."

Pennisi, Cyrus Baguio, Larry Fonacier, Leo Najorda and Villanueva all scored in double figures as the Bulls avenged their 19-point loss to the Tigers in their first meeting last Oct. 13.

"They beat us badly in our first game, and this is a good way to get back at them," said Guiao as they dealt the Tigers their eighth setback against three wins.

It was a sorry loss in particular to Allan Caidic, who’s the new team manager of Coca-Cola. In a personnel shift among team managers in the SMC group, Samboy Lim moved over to Barangay Ginebra and Hector Calma to San Miguel Beer.

Talk n Text outplayed San Miguel Beer at endgame of a tight, seesawing duel, scoring a 90-84 decision to force a tie at fifth place between them in the nightcap.

The two teams now tote with identical 6-5 slates.The Tigers reeled to the bottom of the chart in the company of the Welcoat Dragons on their fourth consecutive loss.

The Bulls broke away in the third quarter while shooting 66.7 percent from the three-point area and dominating the boards with 18 rebounds as against the Tigers’ eight.