Gervin, the son of former NBA great George "The Iceman" Gervin, scored a conference-high 35 points to power Coca-Cola to a 106-92 win opposite Magnolia in the Smart-PBA Fiesta Cup last night at the Araneta Coliseum.

The 6-foot-1 Gervin shot 13-of-26 from the field, including 6-of-10 from the three-point territory and went 3-of-4 from the foul line in 33 minutes of play while adding five rebounds, four assists and a steal.

Former Most Valuable Player (MVP) Paul Asi Taulava also came through with solid numbers of 21 points and 15 rebounds while rookie guard Ronjay Buenafe contributed 13 markers.

The win gave Coke a piece of the lead as it tied Red Bull on a similar 6-2 card. Magnolia dropped to sixth spot with 4-4 record.

In the second game, the surprising Welcoat Paints Dragons frustrated Talk ‘N Text’s own bid to regain a share of the lead with a 116-108 decision.

The Dragons thus notched their third win in eight starts and suddenly found themselves occupying seventh spot.

It was the third loss in eight games for the Phone Pals who slipped into solo third.

"It was right from the opening tip that Magnolia has the mindset to take away Dixon out of his game," Coke mentor Binky Favis said. "But we came prepared for that. I’m glad that small guys delivered."

The 6-foot-10 Dixon, who averaged 25.1 points in his first seven games, was held to conference-low seven points.

Dixon, however, was a force at the middle of Coke’s interior defense as he grabbed 17 rebounds that best typified his team’s dominance of the boards, 59-51.

"I think defense was the key in this victory," Favis added. "I’m glad that, I think for the first time, we won a little convincingly."

"It gets more difficult by the day, it gets hard and harder. We’ll just take it one game at a time," Favis, whose team will face defending champion Alaska on Wednesday and Air21 on Friday, added.

The 35-point output of Gervin eclipsed his previous high of 26 during his debut when Coke lost to Air21, 95-102, last April 13.

The Tigers used a 15-4 run to start the fourth period that turned a close 75-71 advantage after three quarters, to 90-75 with 5:52 left.

Coke had its biggest lead at 20 points, 100-80, on two free throws by Buenafe, the former Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) stalwart, of Mike Cortez’s foul with 3:10 left in the game.

The scores:

COCA-COLA 106 — Gervin 35, Taulava 21, Buenafe 13, Belasco 9, Cabagnot 8, Dixon 7, Telan 7, Macapagal 6, Catli 0, Dimaunahan 0.

MAGNOLIA 92 — Tugade 23, Watkins 14, Cortez 14, Hontiveros 11, Pingris 7, Calaguio 6, Samigue 4, Racela 4, Villanueva 3, Gonzales 3, Tolomia 3, Pena 0.

Quarters: 22-26, 50-51, 75-71, 106-92.

Welcoat 116 — Wainwright 24, Gainous 23, Santee 15, Reyes 15, Arana 13, De Vance 11, Mente 10, Ibanes 3, Isip 2, Dulay 0, Baguion 0.

Talk N’ Text 108 — Alapag 24, McGhee 22, Cardona 19, Washington 14, Ritualo 11, De Ocampo 8, Allado 6, Carey 2, Peek 2, Chia 0, Lao 0.

Quarters: 18-28, 55-60, 81-82, 116-108.