By REYNALD MAGALLON
The Game 1 loss only poked the bear in the defending champion San Miguel.
The Beermen responded in a big way and dominated Terrafirma Dyip, 110-91 to barge into the semifinals of the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Wednesday, May 15.
With SMB’s dominance suddenly being put to question after the shock loss, the Beermen reminded the rest of the league of how much firepower they have at their hands as June Mar Fajardo imposed his will inside the paint to anchor a huge third-quarter explosion.
The seven-time MVP, whose perimeter defense was exploited by Terrafirma in the Game 1 loss behind the sweet shooting Isaac Go, showed that he’s still SMB’s biggest weapon posting 25 points and 22 rebounds.
He poured 10 of his total in the third quarter when SMB seized control of the contest with a blistering 18-4 start in the third quarters to erect a double-digit advantage from a tight, 45-44 lead at the half.
The Beermen bench, completely missing in the Game 1 loss, also stepped up big time with Terrence Romeo firing away a conference-best 19 points, keeping his team afloat in the first half when the Dyip were taking control of the contest.
Don Trollano put up 18 points also off the bench while CJ Perez chipped in 18 points, eight assists and six rebounds.
Javi Gomez De Liano, tried to carry the fight for Terrafirma with 23 points while Juami Tiongson and Stephen Holt chipped in 18 points apiece. Go, after exploding for a career-high 22 in the first game, was limited to just seven points along with 12 rebounds.
The Dyip were actually looking good in repeating the Game 1 win after firing eight triples in the first half but simply ran out of gas in the last two frames. After an 8-of-23 clip from deep, Terrafirma shot 1-of-8 from distance in the third quarter when SMB started tearing the game apart.
The Beermen maintained a 13-point barrier,79-66, heading into the final period and never looked back from there, building a lead that went to as high as 21.
