By REYNALD MAGALLON
San Miguel Beer got solid contributions from its supporting cast to outlast Meralco, 89-78, and move on the cusp of a possible return trip to the PBA Finals in Game 5 of their best-of-seven semifinals in the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup on Friday, Aug.12 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Jericho Cruz provided the spark in a huge third quarter flurry before Rodney Brondial re-produced his heroic act to slam the door on any comeback hopes from the Bolts and inch closer to their first trip to the PBA Finals since the 2019 Commissioner’s Cup.
Cruz was at the forefront of the masterful third quarter show, scoring nine of his 17 points, almost outscoring the entire Bolts team which only mustered 12 points during that stretch.
CJ Perez also continued his offensive barrage with 25 points on top of nine rebounds and five assists while June Mar Fajardo posted another double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds.
Chris Newsome, after struggling in Game 4, bounced back with 24 points while Allein Maliksi added 12 built on four triples. Missing in action, however, was Aaron Black who only finished with six points on a measly 2-of-11 shooting from the field.
It was a game that saw a fiery exchange of runs between the two teams with Meralco unloading the first rally with a 13-0 blast courtesy of three straight treys from Allein Maliksi as the Bolts took a 44-41 lead at the break.
It was a San Miguel night indeed as Magnolia – thanks to Mark Barroca – beat
TNT, 105-97, in their own series to stay in finals hunt.
With the Hotshots’ backs pushed against the wall, the veteran playmaker showed a sense of urgency right from the start of the game, dropping 16 of his 25 points in the first half which set the tone for the crucial victory that allowed Magnolia to live for another day and cut the series deficit, 3-2.
Barroca orchestrated a huge second quarter assault from Magnolia that built a 17-point lead, 51-36, towards the end of the first half. The Hotshots, however, still had to weather a huge TNT storm in the second half led by RR Pogoy, Mikey Williams and Jayson Castro.
Magnolia head coach Chito Victolero, who was elated with Magnolia’s defense, said that staying in front of TNT players without fouling keyed the crucial victory after holding TNT to a measly 20-percent clip from beyond the arc while also forcing 21 turnovers.
“We did a good job on defense sabi ko nga wala naman kaming babaguhin sa depensa namin because we’re here because of our defense. And we did a good job of sustaining that defense for 48 minutes,” said Victolero.
“We limit the fouls, we play physical but nasa game naman yung nilalaro namin. So credit to all the players, backs against the wall, do-or-die, but yung mental toughness nandoon. We expected a grinding game on both ends of the floor so credit to all of them,” he added.
It was a total team effort for the Hotshots as Paul Lee put up another stellar outing with 16 points. Calvin Abueva remained pesky on both ends of the floor with his own with 16 points and 10 rebounds while Ian Sangalang also produced 16 on top of his seven boards.
Jayson Castro led the Tropang Giga with 18 points, six rebounds and five assists while Troy Rosario added 17. The high-scoring duo of Williams and Pogoy was limited to just 13 points although the two briefly came alive in the third quarter to keep TNT within striking distance, 81-73, heading into the final frame
The scores:
First Game
MAGNOLIA 105 – Barroca 25, Lee 16, Sangalang 16, Abueva 16, Jalalon 15, Dionisio 10, Dela Rosa 3, Reavis 2, Escoto 2, Wong 0.
TNT 97 – Castro 18, Rosario 17, Erram 16, M. Williams 13, Pogoy 13, Khobuntin 12, K. Williams 6, Montalbo 2, Reyes 0, Ganuelas-Rosser 0.
Quarters: 28-26, 59-45, 81-73, 105-97.
Second Game
SMB 89 – Perez 24, Cruz 17, Fajardo 12, Tautuaa 9, Enciso 8, Manuel 6, Lassiter 5, Brondial 5, Ross 0, Herndon 0.
MERALCO 78 – Newsome 24, Maliksi 12, Hodge 11, Quinto 11, Almazan 8, Black 6, Pascual 2, Banchero 2, Hugnatan 2, Jose 0, Baclao 0.
Quarters: 25-22, 41-44, 67-56, 89-78.
