By REYNALD MAGALLON
No more drama this time.
San Miguel Beer made sure of this as the Beermen threw the full might of their vaunted attack and took down the TNT Tropang Giga, 109-100, to reset their best-of-seven PBA Philippine Cup Finals on equal footing at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, Aug. 24.
Determined to get even after a heartbreaking defeat in the series opener – no thanks to a controversial buzzer-beating jumper by Jayson Castro – the Beermen created the much-needed separation midway in the payoff period before enduring TNT’s last-ditch comeback.
Unlike in the team’s 86-84 defeat in Game 1, six SMB players finished in double-figures with Vic Manuel scattering 20 points – a marked improvement from a 9-point performance the last time.
CJ Perez continued to lead the way for the Beermen with 23 points while Marcio Lassiter also exploded, chipping in 17 built on three triples, one of which capped a blistering 16-1 run bridging the third and the final frame that gave the Beermen a comfortable 95-80 lead with 7:49 left in the contest.
And June Fajardo?
He also did well, posting 13 points and eight rebounds while Mo Tautuaa and Jericho Cruz also made their presence felt in the series with 12 and 11, respectively.
TNT, despite the absence of head coach Chot Reyes, looked poised to drag the game to another grind-out affair behind a huge offensive night from RR Pogoy who torched the Beermen anew with 28 points powered by six triples.
The Tropang Giga kept in step with the Beermen up until the end of the third quarter, 79-all, before a Cruz triple triggered the telling run.
Apart from its brilliant transition plays on the offensive end, San Miguel’s defense should also be credited. It was extra hot and tight this time.
Small wonder then the Tropang Giga were held scoreless for a good stretch at the onset of the payoff period while Manuel, Tautuaa and Lassiter made a clutch basket one after another.
Pogoy was also held scoreless after scoring all of his output in the first three quarters. Castro, who tried to will his team back into the game late in the final frame, paced the Tropa with 15 points while Mikey Williams was held to single digits with seven points.
The scores:
SAN MIGUEL 109 – Perez 23, Manuel 20, Lassiter 19, Fajardo 13, Cruz 12, Tautuaa 11, Brondial 7, Ross 4, Enciso 0, Zamar 0.
TNT 100 – Pogoy 28, Castro 15, Montalbo 14, Rosario 11, K.Williams 10, M. Williams 7, Erram 7, Reyes 3, Ganuelas-Rosser 3, Khobuntin 2, Marcelo 0.
Quarters: 30-28, 51-51, 82-79, 109-100.
SMB flaunts sheer power to even Finals series vs TNT
By REYNALD MAGALLON
No more drama this time.
San Miguel Beer made sure of this as the Beermen threw the full might of their vaunted attack and took down the TNT Tropang Giga, 109-100, to reset their best-of-seven PBA Philippine Cup Finals on equal footing at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, Aug. 24.
Determined to get even after a heartbreaking defeat in the series opener – no thanks to a controversial buzzer-beating jumper by Jayson Castro – the Beermen created the much-needed separation midway in the payoff period before enduring TNT’s last-ditch comeback.
Unlike in the team’s 86-84 defeat in Game 1, six SMB players finished in double-figures with Vic Manuel scattering 20 points – a marked improvement from a 9-point performance the last time.
CJ Perez continued to lead the way for the Beermen with 23 points while Marcio Lassiter also exploded, chipping in 17 built on three triples, one of which capped a blistering 16-1 run bridging the third and the final frame that gave the Beermen a comfortable 95-80 lead with 7:49 left in the contest.
And June Fajardo?
He also did well, posting 13 points and eight rebounds while Mo Tautuaa and Jericho Cruz also made their presence felt in the series with 12 and 11, respectively.
TNT, despite the absence of head coach Chot Reyes, looked poised to drag the game to another grind-out affair behind a huge offensive night from RR Pogoy who torched the Beermen anew with 28 points powered by six triples.
The Tropang Giga kept in step with the Beermen up until the end of the third quarter, 79-all, before a Cruz triple triggered the telling run.
Apart from its brilliant transition plays on the offensive end, San Miguel’s defense should also be credited. It was extra hot and tight this time.
Small wonder then the Tropang Giga were held scoreless for a good stretch at the onset of the payoff period while Manuel, Tautuaa and Lassiter made a clutch basket one after another.
Pogoy was also held scoreless after scoring all of his output in the first three quarters. Castro, who tried to will his team back into the game late in the final frame, paced the Tropa with 15 points while Mikey Williams was held to single digits with seven points.
The scores:
SAN MIGUEL 109 – Perez 23, Manuel 20, Lassiter 19, Fajardo 13, Cruz 12, Tautuaa 11, Brondial 7, Ross 4, Enciso 0, Zamar 0.
TNT 100 – Pogoy 28, Castro 15, Montalbo 14, Rosario 11, K.Williams 10, M. Williams 7, Erram 7, Reyes 3, Ganuelas-Rosser 3, Khobuntin 2, Marcelo 0.
Quarters: 30-28, 51-51, 82-79, 109-100.
